


gods & monsters

by linds



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-01 18:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5216510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linds/pseuds/linds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After stealing from Klaus Mikaelson, Nora is on the run. She takes temporary shelter in a small town known as Mystic Falls, where locals mysteriously disappear almost everyday. It is there where she meets the dangerous, yet alluring, Mary Louise.</p><p>As the two slowly warm up to each other, they make a pact to help each other reach their goals. For Nora, that is getting rid of Klaus Mikaelson and his family forever. For Mary Louise, that is making a lifelong dream of being a queen come true.</p><p>However, they will soon learn that going up against the Mikaelson family is not something easily done, and seek help from the Salvatore brothers and their many friends - most of whom despise the Mikaelson family just as much as Nora does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I apologize in advance for the crappy quality of writing in this chapter. I PROMISE it will get better, just please bear with me through this chapter.
> 
> Things will probably be a bit confusing. This is basically an altered storyline. Some things have happened, some things haven't. Tyler is still a hybrid, Elena isn't in her curse, etc. What has and has not happened will become clear as the story progresses, and as of now, I'm not entirely sure what is and isn't going to be included in this. Sorry for any confusion that arises!

You hate her. Everything inside of you fucking hates her. After all, she is the reason you are sitting in an empty house that is still technically for sale and smells like old people despite the realtor having told you that it was professionally cleaned less than a week ago. She is the reason Klaus Mikaelson wants you dead.

And where is she?

Probably on the other side of the world with no intention of helping you hide.

You sigh heavily and drag your feet across the hardwood floors as you make your way to the master bedroom. There is no bed, and the thought of having to go into town and compel someone to bring one to the house makes you dread even coming to Mystic Falls. Everything here already involves too much effort and you only arrived seven hours ago.

As you sit on the floor, you try hard to focus on the window at the other side of the bedroom. All I have to do is open it, you think. Lily’s lack of knowledge about magic and your coven’s lack of desire to teach you have left you a sort of broken witch.

Taking in a deep breath, you close your eyes. You begin to chant a few words in gods-know-what-language. The window slides open about an inch and your eyes fly open to watch. However, almost as quickly as it open, it falls shut again.

“Fuck!” you scream. You are breathing heavy as you attempt to keep your anger under control. The last thing you need is to leave a trail of bodies just because of an urge to take out your frustrations.

However, just as you are completely calm, the doorbell rings. You freeze—could you have been found already?

You can feel your heart beating at what you believe is eighty miles per hour. Still, you swallow thickly and go to the front door cautiously. You peer out the window and do not recognize the man standing on the doorstep. His dark hair almost falls into his eyes and his height is somewhat intimidating to you.

“Hello?” he calls from outside, trying to peer into the windows.

You crack the door open slowly, watching him with suspicion. “Can I help you?” you ask, jaw clenched shut. Your hands are balled into fists and you are on the tips of your toes, ready to run—or fight, if you have to.

“I noticed you moved in here. Or, well—that you’re planning to.”

“Not planning to. I already have.”

“Right, well, there’s kind of a problem with that.”

“And who the hell are you to tell me there’s a problem?”

“I’m sort of the...local vampire,” he says. Immediately, you swing the door open and tackle him to the ground. He manages to pin you underneath him before you even know what is happening and he rolls his eyes at you. “Can we start over? Hi, I’m Damon. My brother’s girlfriend wants me to make sure you’re not going to kill everyone in town.”

You hate the joking tone in his voice even more than the hideous smirk on his face. He loosens his grip on your wrists and begins to stand. “And what if that is exactly my plan?”

“Then we’ll have to kill you,” he says darkly.

“Kill me? One of the most powerful beings on the planet?” You are an idiot. You are such an idiot. You cannot even fathom how stupid you just sounded. You—a heretic who can hardly control her magic—just called yourself one of the most powerful beings on the planet.

“I can think of two things more powerful than a vampire and, honey, you’re just not it.”

“And what are they?” It is decided. You hate him.

“A hybrid and a heretic. Had to deal with one of both in the past two months, so I’m not exactly in the happiest mood.”

Your eyes light up at the sound of the word ‘heretic.’ “You’ve met a heretic? Where?”

He looks at you suspiciously and you wish that you had kept your mouth shut. “Why are you so interested?”

“Damon, are you making any progress at all? Who is she?”

You turn around to see where the voice is coming from and find yourself faced with a preppy blonde whose smile is stretched so far across her face as she looks at you that it has to be fake. Damon groans before spitting out, “Great, they sent blondie to watch over me. What did Stefan think was going to happen?”

“Well, considering all of the times you tried to kill Mary Louise and got someone else murdered as a result, Stefan wanted to make sure that you aren’t the one who will end up compromising the lives of everyone in Mystic Falls,” Caroline shoots back.

“Wow, that was quite a mouthful. College must be going well considering all of the new words you’ve learned.”

“Oh, shut up, Damon.” Caroline turns her attention to you. “Hi! I’m Caroline. So, um, why are you here?”

“I needed a vacation,” you tell her with a blank expression. “Can I get back to sitting in an empty house doing absolutely nothing? Because that is all I plan on doing here.”

“Right, well, I’d love to believe that, but we got another visitor about two months ago and all she has done so far is terrorize the entire town. So, forgive us if we’re a little wary about newcomers.”

The anger begins to build once again, only stronger than it was during your practice with the window. “I just want to be left alone.” You cannot risk word getting around that an unknown vampire is residing in Mystic Falls. Klaus will surely hear of it one way or another. “Please just leave.”

“We can’t do that,” Damon says.

Your hands are beginning to shake. “Leave me alone,” you say, voice rising with every word. Caroline begins to back up, shooting a worried look at Damon.

“Damon...”

“Kill her.”

Damon rushes towards you and you reach your arms out to him. He flies back, landing against a stone wall that runs around the entire house. He groans and falls to the ground, grabbing his back. You look at your hands, trying to figure out how you did this.

You spin around to face Caroline, who looks at Damon before making eye contact with you. Before you can do anything, she runs off. When you turn to Damon, he is gone.

**

“So, we’re dealing with another heretic? Are you sure?” Stefan asks, voice laced with concern.

“I mean—I don’t know. She could just be a witch. Damon’s the one who claims she had vampire qualities along with magic,” Caroline says. “I’m not really sure if we should take his word for it, though, considering he’s the one who made her all murder-y and stuff.”

“Forget what I said earlier. College isn’t helping you at all,” Damon spits at her. He takes a swig from his bottle of bourbon as he leans against the table in the living room. “She would’ve attacked us anyway.”

“How do you know that, Damon? Maybe the only reason she attacked us is because you told me to kill her.” Caroline is practically shouting now. At her words, Elena looks up from her spot next to Stefan on the couch.

“Wait, what? You threatened her?” she asks Damon, eyebrows furrowing.

Damon throws his hands up in mock-defeat. “Okay, okay, so I told Caroline to kill her. But that’s only because I knew she was going to attack us no matter what. You didn’t see her eyes. They were like...pure evil.”

“Now you’re just making things up,” Stefan interjects. “And you probably just made another heretic enemy. We all know how powerful Mary Louise is—and how completely out of control she is. We don’t need another one of her running around Mystic Falls.”

“So what do you propose we do, brother? First you’re all mad at me for wanting to kill her, then you’re bringing up facts that lead to one solution for our problems: killing her. It’s the only way.” Damon puts his cup down and starts towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Elena calls after him.

“I’m going to plan a heretic hunting party with Ric.”

He leaves before anyone can say another word. Stefan sighs and rubs his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “He’s going to get everyone in this town killed, isn’t he?”

“What if we just...befriend her? Or something.” Everyone turns to Bonnie, who has been standing quietly in the corner. “We did it with Rebekah.”

“Correction. Matt did it with Rebekah. And then he literally did it with Rebekah,” Tyler points out.

“Hey!” Matt shouts. Tyler laughs.

“Listen, man, I got nothing against you. I’m just stating facts.”

Bonnie looks at Matt thoughtfully. “Maybe you could do that again? But with this new person?”

“You want me to seduce a heretic?”

“I—no, Matt. I want you to befriend a heretic. You have this, like, natural niceness about you. She’ll love it.”

“No. I’m not risking my life in an attempt to get close to some random heretic that we know nothing about. This isn’t even my problem,” Matt declares. Bonnie opens her mouth to speak, but Matt interrupts her. “I’m late for training.”  
He leaves without another word, leaving Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Elena, and Stefan to gawk after him, wondering how exactly this happened.

Caroline claps her hands together. “So! Any other ideas? Tyler, do you want to try?”

“I guess I could...” he begins, trying to think about it. “Yeah, I’ll try.”

“Great!” Caroline shrieks. “So we have a plan.”

“And what exactly is the plan, Caroline?” Bonnie questions.

“Um...Tyler is going to do stuff.”

Bonnie rolls her eyes. “No matter what we do, we’re all going to get killed.”

“Not if Tyler doesn’t provoke her,” Caroline points out. She turns to Tyler. “Listen, just use your charm on her. Be like, ‘Hey, baby. I’m a hybrid, you’re a hybrid-thing. Let’s hook up.’” Everyone laughs at Caroline’s horrible imitation of Tyler’s voice.

“Why do I have to hook up with her? Matt was allowed to just be friends with her.”

“Yeah, but we all know you’re horrible at just being friends with someone,” Caroline tells him. Elena stifles a giggle and Tyler rolls his eyes but does not try to counter Caroline’s point.

“What do you think, Stefan?” Elena asks, looking up at the younger Salvatore brother.

“I think it’s the best plan we have so far.”

**

“It feels great to finally be in a real bed!” You throw yourself backwards onto the new bed that three locals set up for you. It is close to being a religious experience, you think, and you cannot thank yourself enough for finally convincing yourself to go into town and get this done—even with the fear of being tracked down by Damon and Caroline.

Still, as you enjoy the bed, your mind wanders to the name that they mentioned earlier.

Mary Louise.

Could that have been the heretic Damon was speaking of?

You throw an arm over your eyes and groan, not wanting to think about it anymore, but also wanting to find out exactly who is in this town. Caroline and Damon are both vampires—you know that much. But who else is there? More vampires? How many? A possible heretic? Wolves?

“Why couldn’t they just leave me alone?” you wonder aloud.

You slide off the bed and close the curtains of the bedroom, planning to attempt a nap. The bed is so comfortable you may actually drift into sleep despite all of your worries and questions about life in Mystic Falls.

Once again, you plop onto the bed. You pull the covers over yourself and settle in, a faint smile creeping across your face at how comfortable this bed is. You remember the man at the mattress store speaking about something called pillow-top.

Your eyes close almost instinctively as soon as your head hits the pillow and you immediately begin to drift into a much-needed sleep.

“You seem relaxed. Which is surprising if you ask me, seeing as you attacked Damon Salvatore earlier and he’s plotting to kill you.”

Your eyes snap open and you jump out of bed, looking around the room to find the source of the voice. A blonde woman around your physical age stands in the doorway, watching you with amusement. “Who are you?”

She looks at the watch on her wrist. “I’d say you have about four hours before they haul ass to this house and hit you with everything they have. Which may not be much if you actually knew how to control your magic.”

“How do you know anything about me? Who are you?” you ask again, voice loud and dripping with malice.

“Do you really think a heretic in Mystic Falls would go undetected?”

Your greatest fear gets the best of you and you cannot stop yourself from asking your next question. “Do you work for Klaus Mikaelson?”

Her face drops instantly and her eyes darken dangerously. You find yourself frightened by her current expression and take a few steps back. “Why would you think I work for Klaus Mikaelson?”

“I—I—” You are unsure of how to answer. If you tell her the truth, you would be outing yourself as a wanted fugitive on the run from the Mikaelson family. However, she does not seem like someone who would take well to a lie.

She surges forward, grabs you by the throat, and pins you to the wall. “I asked you a question.” Her grip tightens and you try to choke out your words, but nothing comes out. You wonder if she even expects an answer at this point. “I’m going to let go. Then, I’m going to give you exactly seven seconds to give me an answer. If I’m not satisfied by your response, I will tear you limb from limb. Are we understood?” You nod the best that you can. “Good.”

She releases you and you gasp, trying to take in air. “He’s looking for me,” you manage to get out before the seven seconds are up. “He’s trying to kill me. I thought he sent you to find me. That’s why I asked.”

With her arms folded across her chest and her head slightly tilted to one side, she studies you. Her eyes take you in and you are on a level of discomfort that you never thought you could reach. Moments pass, and she finally unfolds her arms and nods her head, still turning over your words in her mind.

“If you don’t work for him, why are you here?”

“Did you not listen to anything I said? Damon Salvatore is plotting to kill you. I came here to warn you,” she repeated.

“Why warn me at all?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because we’re both heretics. Or maybe I just believe that us girls have got to stick together.” What a strange thing to say, you think. As if reading your mind, she adds, “That’s just a saying I picked up from an old flame.”

You nod slowly. “Okay,” you say dumbly. “So, um, what should I do? Leave Mystic Falls?”

“That would be the safest—and also the most boring—option, yes. Or...” Her eyes sparkle with mischief.

“Or what?” you press.

“Or you could destroy everything that Damon Salvatore cares about as revenge for him plotting against you.”

You watch her carefully, trying to figure out the motive behind her suggestion. But when you look at her you see someone similar to Thanatos, Greek god of death; hated by and hateful towards all mortals and immortal gods.

You are sure now, despite the lack of introductions, that this is the murderous Mary Louise you heard of earlier.

**  
“I am quite bored. Even my house has a television in it, and I have only been awake in this era for the last four years,” Mary Louise says. Her legs dangle off the side of the couch in your living room and she is eating from a bowl of chips.

“I’ve only been in this house since this morning. And I don’t even know why you’re still here.”

“I’m here to help you plan your revenge against Damon,” she deadpans. You shake your head and pinch the bridge of your nose.

“I’m not taking any sort of revenge against Damon. He hasn’t even done anything to me yet. If there’s anyone I wish to go after, it’s Klaus Mikaelson.” This gains Mary Louise’s attention. She sits up on the couch and locks eyes with you, a smile dancing across her face.

“If you could have one wish come true, what would it be?” she asks.

“I would wish to successfully kill Klaus and his entire family of Original Brats,” you respond. The reply is far too fast for your liking. You do not want her to know that you have been thinking about this for so long.

“Well, what if I told you I could help with that.” You raise an eyebrow at her words, inviting her to continue. “My own interests seem to overlap with yours. You see, I’ve been trying to plot my revenge against Klaus and his family for close to four hundred years.”

“Why? What did they do to you?”

“Let’s just say that it’s a long story that ended with me locked in a box to suffer in a state of desiccation for three hundred and ninety-seven years. But that’s not the only thing driving me. You see, Klaus believes himself to be a king. He rules New Orleans in a broken reign—the people meant to fear and obey him are learning to rise against him. Their already-shaken loyalties will not last long.”

“And?”

“My point is they will need a new ruler to look to once he falls—a queen, perhaps.”

“And you think that will be you?”

She smiles—an evil smile that you are sure is the most terrifying thing you have ever seen. “Klaus sits on his throne because he believes himself to be a king. But if he is a king, then I am a god. And I will drench this world in blood to claim what should be rightfully mine.”

“And what is that?” you ask, growing more curious by the second.

“His throne.”


	2. Chapter 2

Mary Louise hums a soft tune under her breath as you flip through the Mystic Grill’s menu. It was not your idea to come here, but you believe that it is nice to finally be out of the house. And with Mary Louise’s protection, you do not entirely fear the presence of Damon Salvatore.

In the week since you bruised his ego by smashing him against a wall, he has not attempted anything. You have not seen him lurking around your house, and Mary Louise reports no sightings of him wandering around town. You should be happy that he is nowhere to be found. But that fact scares you more than anything—it means he truly is planning something.

You watch as Mary Louise pulls out a notebook and pencil from her bag. She titles the first page in large letters, but you cannot read it until she holds up the page for you to see.

OUR PLAN TO KILL KLAUS MIKAELSON

“Any ideas yet?” she asks, sucking her bottom lip in between her teeth as she focuses on drawing small scribbles in the margins of the page. You roll her eyes at her.

“Perhaps we should not hold up that sign for all in this place to see,” you suggest. She shrugs her shoulders at you, your warning going unnoticed and uncared for. “How do we even go about killing an immortal hybrid? Isn’t that the whole point of being immortal? You know, not being able to die?”

“Luckily, there are still ways to kill the bastard. I am just not sure that I am ready to share that information with you.”

“Why not? Haven’t I already proven that I’m on your side? You’re the one who came to me seeking an alliance,” you point out. Again, she shrugs at you, ignoring your words and causing you to bite the inside of your cheek to keep from lashing out at her.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” she states suddenly. She pushes her chair out from under her and stalks off to the restroom. You slump back against your chair and take in a deep breath. If Klaus Mikaelson does not kill you, then the process of working with Mary Louise definitely will.

The bell on the door chimes and you look up to see a guy with dark hair walking towards you. You look around, trying to see if there is anyone else in your general direction that he could be approaching. However, as he sits across from you in the seat that Mary Louise occupied only moments earlier, your questions are answered.

He smiles stiffly at you and holds out his hand. You take it cautiously, trying to understand the reason behind his suspicious behavior.

“I’m Tyler,” he says finally, his smile growing easier. You force a smile back at him.

“Nora.”

“It’s nice to meet you. So, I heard...” He pauses to look around, scanning the area to make sure no one is listening. Then, he lowers his voice and leans in closer. “I heard you’re a heretic. Is that true?”

“Why does that matter to you?” The question is much harsher than you intend it to be, but you do not wish to take it back. Besides, knowing that he is familiar with the supernatural explains why the place suddenly smelled of dog as soon as he walked in, and you have never been much of a fan of wolves.

“I’ve only met one other heretic. She was cool, I guess, aside from murdering a bunch of people. I guess I just wanted to welcome you to the town. Are you having an okay time adjusting?” he asks. You are surprised at how genuine his words sound as they fall from his tongue. But it is a practiced tongue, you realize—one that has been taught to speak this way. You wonder who has sent him to speak to you.

“I suppose I have been ‘adjusting’ just fine. I haven’t killed anyone yet, since that is the question you are just dying to ask me.” He laughs.

“I didn’t just come over here to make sure you haven’t killed anyone. I just wanted to talk,” he tells you. Such a practiced tongue indeed.

“Why?”

“Well...you’re just—you’re absolutely gorgeous, for one. And there’s a party at Whitmore College tonight. I was wondering if you’d want to maybe go?”

“If you’re going to ask me out you should be a bit more confident,” you tell him jokingly. His face reddens at your remark, but he takes only seconds to gather himself.

“Nora, will you attend this party with me?” he asks with noticeably more confidence.

“No.”

He leans forward quickly, confusion rushing over his face. “Why not?”

“Why do my reasons matter?”

“Well, because, how do I know you’re just saying no so that you can go murder a bunch of people?” 

“Tyler, I will pinky promise that I will not murder people tonight. I’m just not in the mood for some boring college party. I didn’t even attend college. What would be the point in me going?”

He sighs, but eventually nods his head sadly. “Okay, I understand. Maybe I’ll see you there tonight anyway if you change your mind?”

“Doubtful.”

Just as he gets up to leave, you spot Mary Louise exiting the bathroom. She stops and waits until he has left the building before she continues forward and reclaims her seat. She looks at you, waiting for an explanation as to why you were just talking to Tyler.

“I do not want to get into it right now,” you tell her. 

**

You are starting to think that you found someone that you hate more than Lily and Klaus combined.

You do not know how she talked you into going. But, more than that, you do not know how she talked you into wearing what you are wearing. Never have you been one for dresses that reveal too much to leave anything up to the imagination. Still, here you are, standing before a mirror and looking at the ridiculous skin-tight dress that stops too far above your knees and has a neckline too low for your liking.

“I hate you,” you call to Mary Louise.

“That is the fourteenth time you’ve told me that tonight. You look fine, Nora,” she answers from the bathroom.

You shake your head in disapproval. “Are you sure putting me in a crowd of people is a good idea? What if I accidentally blow something up?”

“Have more confidence in yourself, Nora! We’ve been practicing for a week. You’re doing incredibly well.” Her words are encouraging, but the knowledge of how many things you have set on fire thus far is not.

You can already tell that tonight is going to be a disaster.

**

Unfortunately, all of the awful things you thought about tonight are true. The music is horrible and too loud for your liking. The people are so drunk that you have only just nearly missed having seven drinks spilled on you so far. And Mary Louise will not leave you alone.

“So, you’ve met Tyler Lockwood, Damon Salvatore, and Caroline Forbes. If Tyler invited you to this poor excuse for a party, then it means the rest of their people will be here. And—oh, there. There’s Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore.” She points to a couple standing a few feet away from the bear pong table, watching with disinterest. 

They lock eyes with you and you turn into Mary Louise. “Oh, my god. They see us. They fucking see us. What do we do? What are we supposed to do? Do I run? What if they try something?” You look up to see Mary Louise about to break out into laughter. “What are you—” She bursts into a fit of laughter and doubles over.

You sigh in frustration, waiting for her to get over her outburst. “I’m sorry. I’m terribly sorry. You’re just—why are you so worried?”

“Because they saw us! Together!”

“Nora, that was the plan. The plan was for us to attend this thing together. I knew they would see us. If you honestly did not notice, I wasn’t exactly trying to stay hidden.”

You blink at her a couple of times, trying to register her words in your mind. “Oh,” you say softly. 

“Besides, it’s only Damon who wants to kill you. Seeing as they sent Tyler to seduce you, I’d say the rest of them are trying a friendlier approach.”

“Seduction? That’s what that conversation at the Grill was supposed to be?”

Mary Louise laughs again and spins you around before leading you over to a table with drinks. She picks one up and hands it to you. “You need to let go a little. You’re too worried right now. Have a few drinks, get into the party spirit.”

“Are you serious? This is pathetic! Before I met Lily, I was one of the wildest people I knew.” You are utterly disgusted with Mary Louise’s evaluation. Still, you quickly knock back a few drinks, not even noticing that you mention Lily.

She watches you, fascinated. Her attention makes you...hopeful? Happy? You are unsure of the feeling and swallow thickly before trying to ignore it. It is not too hard, as moments later her attention is drawn to something behind you. You spin around on your heels to see what it is.   
Caroline Forbes.

Well, Caroline Forbes and her short friend.

“Bonnie Bennet. Town witch,” Mary Louise informs you. You nod at her. Caroline makes eye contact with you—why do these people constantly make eye contact? It is easier when everyone avoids you.

You begin to walk forward, but Mary Louise catches your arm. You stare at her. “I want to apologize. They should know that I didn’t mean to harm Damon. Maybe they’ll even manage to call off Damon when they realize I’m not a threat,” you explain.

“You’re a heretic, Nora. They’ll always see you as a threat.”

You brush off her words and yank your arm from her grasp before making your way over to Caroline and Bonnie. You open your mouth to speak, but just before you can get any words out, Caroline walks away. Bonnie looks at you with her eyebrows raised. “Is there a problem?” she asks calmly.

“I just wanted to apologize to her...” you start. You do not finish your words, though, and begin to retreat back to Mary Louise’s side.

“She told me what happened, you know. Described everything. How you did it, the way you reacted...” Bonnie’s voice trails off and you know exactly where she is going with this.

You shoot a glance over at Mary Louise, who is watching you from the spot you left her. She furrows her eyebrows at you, trying to figure out what is going on. You are thankful that you and Bonnie are just out of earshot. Quickly, you grab Bonnie’s arm, and she allows you to lead her away from the party. You do not bother to see Mary Louise’s reaction.

Once the two of you exit the house, the cool night air hits you as a welcome sensation. You push Bonnie into the bricks of the house a little more forcefully than you intend to. “Ow!” she exclaims.

“Sorry—I think I’m a little drunk,” you tell her. ‘A little’ is an understatement. You can feel the effects of the alcohol that you practically inhaled only minutes ago. “So, you know?”

 

“That you don’t completely have control over your magic? Yes, I know. And I have an offer,” she says. You perk up at hearing this and wait for her to continue. “I can help you learn to use your magic.”

“That’s it? That’s the offer?”

“Yes.”

“But, what do I have to do in return?” you ask. You do not like the sound of her offer. No one—especially not witches—does anything without personal gain being a factor.

“I just want you to promise you will not go on any killing sprees, despite the influence Mary Louise may have over you,” she tells you. 

“That is quite the noble offer, Bennet. However, it is not one that Nora will take you up on. I am already helping her with her magic. She does not need you.” You turn around to see Mary Louise exiting the house. You roll your eyes at her.

“I can handle this, you know,” you state.

Bonnie looks from you to Mary Louise. Her gaze lingers on Mary Louise and she smirks. “How many fires has she accidentally started?” Bonnie asks. Mary Louise shifts her weight from one foot to the other, not wanting to answer the question honestly.

“How did you know?” Bonnie turns her attention to you.

“I’ve helped witches before.” She looks to Mary Louise. “Have you?”

Mary Louise’s face contorts into an expression that you cannot read, but you know that it cannot be good. “...Mary Louise?” You snap your fingers in her face, but she simply slaps your hand away and places a finger over her lips, signaling for you to be quiet. Bonnie watches her carefully.

Suddenly, Mary Louise moves in a blur. When she is still, her hand is wrapped around the throat of a man you have never seen before. She slams him into the ground and plunges her hand into his chest. He cries out in pain.

“Who are you?” Mary Louise is in his face shouting. “Tell me now or I promise you will regret it.”

“Death does not scare me, heretic. Go ahead and kill me!”

Mary Louise’s face grows dark and a murderous smile stretches across her face. “I know of a fate far worse than death.”

The man is noticeably frightened—and you are as well. “My name is Chase. I am no one, I swear!” His eyes dart over to you, and you understand that he recognizes you. Unfortunately for him, Mary Louise notices this as well.

“Do you know her?” she asks, jabbing a thumb in your direction. Chase gulps nervously, eyes pleading with Mary Louise to let him go.

“Please...I’ve only been a vampire for a month. Please let me go. We won’t tell Klaus anything, I swear!” His pleads sound honest, and if it were you, you would have let him go. However, Mary Louise is not you.

She is merciless. 

You realize this for what it truly means as she tears him apart, limb by limb, letting him feel the pain of each rip until it is over. And then she pulls his heart from his chest and holds it in her hand, looking at it as if it is a trophy and she just won the national championship.

“Did anyone else notice that he said ‘we’?” Bonnie chimes in. She looks at the remnants of the man’s body, not wanting to bring that topic into discussion. 

“How many people do you think are part of the ‘we’? And how do we make sure they don’t tell Klaus about me?”

“I don’t kn—” Bonnie’s words are cut short as she falls to the ground. A woman stands behind her holding a tire iron and looking at Mary Louise with so much hatred   
that you find yourself stepping out of her way.

“I would be the other half of the ‘we,’” the woman says. Her knuckles turn white as she grips the tire iron harder and readies herself for a fight. As she moves towards Mary Louise, you rush over to Bonnie and bring her head into your lap before biting into your hand.

“Shit, please heal. Please don’t be dead. You have no idea how horrible that would be for me. Mary Louise is a horrible teacher, and Damon Salvatore already hates me enough,” you tell her motionless body. You place your hand against her mouth, allowing your blood to drip past her lips. “Please, please, please.”

You pay no mind to the sound of Mary Louise and the mystery-woman fighting behind you. Instead, you focus all your attention on Bonnie. You need her to come back. Everything will be ruined if she does not. You lift her to look at the back of her head—the gash is gone, yet she still is not showing any signs of waking.

“Hey, Mary Louise? She healed. Should she still be unconscious?” you call over to the blonde vampire. She is pushed against a wall with the tire iron pressed against her throat, constricting her airway, and keeping her from answering you.

Your hands ball into fists and you do not dare to suppress the rage as you move towards the woman and pull her from Mary Louise. Your fists find her face in a frenzy and she is not able to push you away. As the two of you fight—rather, as you beat the shit out of her—Mary Louise watches.

The woman falls and you land a kick to her ribs. As she is on the ground, you walk over to Mary Louise and pick up the tire iron. You kneel against her chest and crush her throat between the ground and tire iron. “Sorry for this, but I really needed an answer to that question.” You look to Mary Louise.

“Yeah, it’s okay for her to still be unconscious. The important part is that she healed,” Mary Louise informs you. You nod.

“Great, thanks.” You turn back to the woman. “Are there any more of you here? Does Klaus know you’re here?” The woman shakes her head and tries to grab at you. You let go of the tire iron and pin her wrists to the ground. “That wasn’t very smart. Are you not having fun?”

“Let me go. Chase already promised we wouldn’t tell anyone. You can trust me!” the woman shouts. You let out a dry laugh.

“Chase promised that before my friend ripped him to shreds. I know of vengeance far better than you ever will—and I know you will do whatever it takes to run back to Klaus and tell him I am here.” As you finish speaking, you tear her heart from her chest and drop it at Mary Louise’s feet. “You can add that to your collection.

**

“She’s a lot heavier than she looks, you know,” you comment as you trudge along next to Mary Louise. Bonnie is in your arms—and has been since your car broke down thirty minutes from Mystic Falls. Mary Louise apparently cannot be bothered with helping you carry the Bennet witch.

You are anxious and constantly glance down at the witch to make sure she still looks alive. She should be awake by now. However, you think about how vulnerable she is to you—a vampire getting whacked in the head with a tire iron can recover quickly. A witch? Not so much.

You try to hold onto the facts to keep yourself from freaking out. The last thing you need is to be the cause of death of Damon Salvatore’s friend—he already wants to kill you. 

“Stop worrying about Damon,” Mary Louise says. “He will not bother you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he fears me. He has seen what I have done, and now that all of his friends understand that I am on your side, he will not harm you,” she tells you.

“Is that why you had me go to that stupid party? To show everyone that you and I are working together?” you ask her.

“Yes. Once they know we have formed an alliance, they are less likely to go after you. The only thing more terrifying than one heretic working alone is two heretics working together.” 

You cannot argue with her reasoning, for it is sound. Still, you wish that she was honest with you from the beginning about why you have been forced to attend that party. The party where you almost got Bonnie Bennet killed by some asshole vampire desperate to please Klaus.

Once you arrive at the start of the Salvatores’ driveway, you let out a long sigh of relief. Your arms ache and all you wish to do at this point is drop the witch and go to sleep. Still, you know that is not possible. The car is in the driveway, and the lights inside the house are turned on.

They are home.

You finally must face what you wish to avoid, but with Mary Louise at your side, you are no longer as afraid.

She rings the doorbell and the two of you wait. Bonnie finally begins to stir. She mumbles under her breath and her eyelids twitch but do not open. The door is opened slowly and both Salvatore brothers stand in the doorway, watching the two of you carefully.

“Anyone order a barely-conscious Bennet witch?” Mary Louise jests. You look at her with a what-the-fuck? expression. This is already off to a terrible start.


	3. Chapter 3

_“Anyone order a barely-conscious Bennet witch?” Mary Louise jests. You look at her with a what-the-fuck? expression. This is already off to a terrible start._

Damon stares at you as if you are the most evil thing on the planet. You can practically feel him rip your heart from your chest as he thinks about it. Stefan is more concerned with Bonnie. He looks at her with an open mouth and then watches you and Mary Louise.

“What did you do?” he asks.

“Stefan? Who is it?” Elena walks to the door. She gasps and drops the cup she is holding as soon as she sees Bonnie, whose eyes are finally beginning to open completely now.

No one speaks as the witch fully opens her eyes and blinks a few times. She looks around, arms wrapped around your neck, and then looks at you. “Can you put me down now?” You nod your head and place her on the ground, eager to allow her to explain the situation before Damon kills you.

“What did they do to you, Bonnie?” Elena asks, her voice tinged with concern as she rushes forward to her friend. She grabs Bonnie’s shoulders to steady the witch, who is obviously still suffering the effects of being whacked with a tire iron.

“They didn’t do anything. They helped me,” Bonnie says.

Yeah, after you got knocked unconscious by someone who was after me, you think. You are happy that you do not speak your words aloud, for Damon now looks at you with confusion and contemplation than pure murder. It is better for him to have to decide whether or not he wants to kill than for him to automatically know.

You silently thank Bonnie for her words, even if they are twisted from the truth just a little bit. Damon and Stefan step to the side and Stefan motions for you and   
Mary Louise to enter. Just as you start forward, Mary Louise catches your arm.

“What happens when we come in? Do Damon and Alaric attempt to kill us?” Mary Louise asks, eyeing Damon.

“You helped Bonnie. Surely there’s more to you than we originally believed,” Stefan tells her. “I promise nothing will happen to you.”

“Don’t speak for me,” Damon cuts in. Mary Louise stares him down.

“I would sure hope that he speaks for you in those words, Damon Salvatore. If anyone is to try something, I will tear you all apart. Do not think that you can kill me.”

You are tempted to add to her words, to try and prove that despite her small rant the two of you are not a threat, but just as Stefan cannot make any promises for   
Damon’s behavior, you cannot make any promises for Mary Louise’s behavior. Instead, you offer an apologetic smile to Stefan as you pass him. He nods, seeming to understand. It is a nice feeling.

Once the two of you are in the house, Stefan offers you a glass. You raise your hand and Bonnie laughs at you from where Elena is helping her sit on the couch.   
Stefan and Elena look at her, confused. “She doesn’t need any more to drink,” Bonnie says. You remember your admission of being slightly tipsy earlier and grab the drink from Stefan just to prove her wrong.

“Thank you, Stefan,” you say, keeping eye contact with Bonnie while you gulp down the drink. “I’m not nearly drunk enough for this,” you explain to her curtly. She offers you a small smile. You are not surprised at the realization that Bonnie is the only person in this group that you do not mind the company of. Even with so little conversation between the two of you, you know that she is the least annoying.

“Where’s Caroline?” you ask suddenly, drawing everyone’s attention. Damon stops pouring his drink to look at you with a dark expression. Stefan and Elena are simply confused. Bonnie understands.

“Why?” Damon questions.

“I wanted to apologize about the other day,” you explain.

“And I don’t get an apology?” he presses.

“I pushed you into a wall and your first response was to plot to murder me. You don’t deserve an apology,” you snap at him. Bonnie laughs.

“You think that’s funny, Bon-Bon? Wait until she kills one of us. Then you’ll be wishing I had ripped out her heart when all of you were shaming me for the idea,”   
Damon tells her. She stops laughing and you find yourself oddly defensive of her.

“She’s just enjoying some obvious humor. Why make such a comment? And I’ve told you so many times before—I am not a threat unless you make me one.” Mary Louise looks at you carefully and you cannot distinguish her expression, but you know that it is a result of your half-assed attempt to defend Bonnie.

“Right, well, this has been fun,” Mary Louise says suddenly as she stands up. “Nora and I should be going now.”

“Why?” you ask, voice small as Mary Louise looks down on you.

“Because there is nothing for us here.”

“What if they can help?”

“Nora!” You are taken by surprise by the scolding tone of her voice. She reminds you of Lily in this moment. “Watch your words.” She is quieter now, fingers playing with the sleeves of her jacket.

“Help with what?” Stefan asks.

“You want to kill Klaus, don’t you?” Everyone turns to Bonnie. You open your mouth, but the words are caught in your throat. You should have known that she knows, but her words take you by surprise. Not even Mary Louise, whose jaw is clenched so tight it may break, knows how to respond to this.

“What?” Elena gasps, obviously shocked by the idea. 

“So, basically, you want to commit suicide,” Damon chimes in. “Lovely. Count us out.”  
Stefan holds up a finger to silence Damon. His brother does not speak again, but obviously does not take well to the gesture. “Do you have a plan?”

“Yes, actually, I do,” Mary Louise says. You think back to the empty notebook page where the two of you were supposed to fill in ideas. Why would she so openly lie?   
You try to control your heartbeat, not wanting to give away her false words.

“And what is it?”

“Why would I tell you that? I don’t even know if you are willing to help. How do I know you will not just run to Klaus as soon as we leave and tell him of our plan to kill him?” Mary Louise muses, watching each of them carefully. 

“I am willing to help,” Bonnie tells her, standing from her place on the couch. She wobbles as she stands, and you are by her side to steady her before anyone knows what is happening. She smiles at you gratefully and leans against you as she looks at Mary Louise. “I will help you.”

“Bonnie…” Elena begins. Bonnie shakes her head.

“Klaus Mikaelson deserves to die. He’s the reason my mom is dead. The reason Jeremy is dead. Hell, he even tried to kill me more times than I can count. If there’s a way to kill him, I want in.” You look at her gently.

“He’s taken so much from you,” you whisper to her. She looks up at you.

“What’s he taken from you?” You look down at your feet, contemplating whether or not to answer. Before you can decide, she shakes her head and smiles softly.   
“Never mind. That’s not important right now.” You look at her, grateful that she is not pressing the matter.

Mary Louise watches the two of you and for a small moment you can swear that jealously flashes across her face. However, just as you think you can see it, it is gone.   
She turns to Damon. “I do not care if you are in or not. You are not important in my plan anyway.”

Now it is her plan. First it was the two of you working together, and now she speaks as if she is leaving you to do this alone. You want to question her, to make sure that you are still included, but she does not seem easy to approach right now, and you do not wish to anger her.

Damon seems to be considering his options as Stefan whispers to Elena. You attempt not to eavesdrop, but still catch word of them discussing what they should do.   
Elena constantly looks back to Bonnie, who slowly lifts herself off from you. You help her back down to the couch and take a seat next to her.

Minutes pass and no one says anything. The silence is beginning to make you uncomfortable and you shift around in your seat so many times that you are in an entirely new position. Closer to Bonnie, as if you are seeking comfort. And as you shift one more time, she offers a gentle hand on your arm and a warm smile that makes the discomfort disappear. 

You are grateful for her presence. Even in silence, she offers you more than Mary Louise has since you first met, despite all of the training sessions in Magic 101. Mary Louise’s gaze lingers on Bonnie’s hand and you shoot her a look, silently asking her what is wrong.

She looks away from you when you make eye contact and instead turns her attention on the Salvatore brothers. “So? Are we done contemplating the meaning of life?” she asks harshly.

Elena rolls her eyes, though just out of Mary Louise’s sight. At least she is smart enough not to allow Mary Louise see her react to her words in such a way. You can imagine Mary Louise’s response to someone rolling their eyes at her.

“Well, I’m in. Someone has to make sure Bonnie isn’t going to get herself killed…again.” You look behind you to see Caroline walking down the stairs. She smiles at Bonnie before looking at you warily.

“How long have you been in my house?” Damon asks.

“Since we all got back from the party…did you really not know I’ve been here? I specifically told you I was going to take a shower.” It is then that you notice her hair is still dripping with water and she smells of strawberry conditioner. 

“Great, well, Bonnie and Caroline are going to help. The rest of us—aka the smart ones—are going to be taking it under consideration,” Damon says.

“If you do have a sound plan to kill Klaus, then I’ll help. But if whatever you’re plotting relies on if’s, then I won’t risk my life for something that probably won’t work.” Mary Louise nods at Stefan’s words.

“There are no if’s in my plan. I am happy to share it with you once I know everyone here is on my side,” Mary Louise states. 

There is a knock on the door just as Damon is about to speak. He groans and moves to answer the door, but it is opened before he is even halfway there. A woman stands in the doorway and you try to stay as relaxed as everyone else appears to be. 

Her face and body are drenched in blood and there is a knife stuck between her ribs. She is panting hard and leans against the doorframe with one arm. Elena gets up and begins to step back, noticeably disturbed by the presence of this woman. However, she seems more afraid of the woman herself than the fact that she looks exactly like Elena.

“Tell me why Klaus’s men are searching Mystic Falls, Stefan. Especially after you told me you wouldn’t give away my hiding place,” she snarls. She pulls the knife from her ribs and it clatters to the ground. “Well?” she says when no one responds. “I’m waiting.”

**

“How many blood bags are you going to go through?” Damon asks, handing the woman—who you now know as Katherine—another blood bag.

“This is only my fourth. I’m sorry if I’m a bit hungry after having to fight for my life to get away from some idiot hybrid,” she spits at him. “So, please, explain why his hybrids are back in Mystic Falls. Did Tyler turn back over to his sire’s side and give me away?”

Tyler. He was sired by Klaus. You are beginning to understand that coming to Mystic Falls is probably the worst thing you have ever done in your lifetime. 

“Tyler didn’t do anything,” Caroline says. “Klaus’s men are here because…well…I don’t know. No one is telling me anything!” she exclaims. 

“They’re here because of me,” you say. Everyone turns to you and Mary Louise looks at you as if she wishes to wrap her hands around your throat and suffocate you until you pass out. You know she disapproves of you telling them practically everything, but you need as many allies as you can get.

“What the hell is she talking about?” Katherine asks. “Who are you?”

“My name is Nora Hildegard a—”

“Great! You’re harboring a known fugitive!” Katherine practically shouts. So she already knows about you. This means word is spreading quickly—too quickly for your liking.

“Wait, what is talking about?” Caroline asks. Bonnie looks at you and nods her head slightly, telling you that it is okay to tell them.

“I stole from Klaus a while back. He wants me dead,” you explain. 

“He doesn’t want you dead, honey. He wants to torture you until you beg to die,” Katherine warns you. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”

“That’s why you want to kill him so badly?” Stefan asks you.

“That’s one of the reasons, yes. There are others,” you say.

“I told you we should have left, Nora,” Mary Louise hisses at you. “They’re no help to us now.”

“Why do say that? Her reasons for wanting Klaus dead don’t matter to me, just like my reasons don’t matter to you. The bottom line is that every single person in this room will benefit from Klaus’s death. Elena won’t be used for her blood. Stefan and Damon won’t be constantly played with. Katherine and Tyler won’t be hunted.   
Caroline won’t be…stalked, or whatever. We all think that because he’s off in New Orleans dealing with shit that he won’t come back for us, but he will. We all know he will. His vacation will end and he’ll be back to tear away everything we’ve ever loved, just like he has before.” Everyone is silent as Bonnie finishes her small speech.

“We don’t know that, Bonnie. He hasn’t come back for my blood yet. Maybe whatever he’s doing in New Orleans made him not need me anymore,” Elena suggests.

“So you’d rather live your life hoping he’ll never come back? And even if he doesn’t, that doesn’t change anything that he’s done. He killed Jenna, Elena. He killed Jeremy. He turned Tyler. He killed my mom. Don’t you want revenge at all?” Bonnie is standing now, looking over at Elena who is seated on the couch.

“Bonnie, where is this coming from?” Elena asks in disbelief. 

“This is coming from having to watch people I care about die just because of some psychopath. I’m not going to let him hurt anyone else.” Bonnie’s hands are shaking now and you bump your elbow against hers. She looks to you, tears filling her eyes. “I’m going to help you kill him. Just tell me what I have to do.”

“If it means I won’t have to run anymore, I’m in. But I’m not getting, like…totally involved. You can all do the dirty work. I’ll compel people or whatever there is to do that doesn’t involve direct interaction with Klaus,” Katherine says.

“No. If you don’t help, I’ll kill you myself. You’ve killed Jeremy before, too. The only difference is that he came back. But that doesn’t excuse any of what you’ve done.   
Compelling Jenna to stab herself, causing Tyler to trigger his curse…If you don’t risk your life to help us, I swear to God, Katherine, I will kill you.” Bonnie’s voice is dark and you are slightly afraid of her.

Katherine seems to understand her words as the truth, and nods slowly. Then, she smirks. "Wow, Bennet's finally got some guts. Anyway, I'll help. But just because I want Klaus dead. I’m not afraid of you, Bonnie.”

“I’m just sick of him sending me those creepy letters,” Caroline chirps from behind the couch. “I’ll still help you kill him.”  
Elena looks to Stefan, asking him what to do. Stefan nods slowly. “If so many people are on board, then I guess you can count me in, too.”

“Have you all lost your minds? Going up against Klaus takes more than just having a reason to. None of us are prepared for this. We’ll all die,” Damon says. 

“Maybe we aren’t prepared for this. But we all know two people who can help us train for this fight,” Elena points out.

“And who’s that?” Damon asks.

“Alaric and Mary Louise.”

**

“So…you want me to help train you to go up against Klaus, when we don’t even have a plan?” Alaric asks, looking around to make sure that what he is saying is true.

“For God’s sake, I do have a plan. I’m just not sharing it until everyone is on board,” Mary Louise tells him.

Tyler is present. Caroline explained to him what is happening, and he is more than happy to help you kill Klaus. As he put it, “The bastard deserves to fucking die.”   
You laugh at how true the use of the term bastard is in this statement.

“Fine. I’m in. But the second I think your plan sucks, I’m not helping you,” Alaric compromises. Mary Louise shrugs her shoulders.

“Good enough for me.”

“Great, now let’s go over this so-called plan of yours and see if you’re actually telling the truth,” Stefan says.

You hope that Mary Louise is lying to you but not having a plan. Because if it turns how she has been telling you the truth and has been lying to everyone else instead, then Damon is probably going to attempt to tear your head off.


	4. Chapter 4

“You’re going to get us killed. They’ll turn on us when they learn you don’t actually have a plan!” you shout. Mary Louise is fixing her lipstick in the mirror of the bathroom. She glances over at you briefly and finishes her makeup before sighing and turning to face you. She leans back against the sink and folds her arms over her chest.

“I do have a plan.” She pushes herself off of the sink and walks closer to you until she is only mere inches away from you. “I just haven’t told you what it is.”

“Why not?”

“You’re a danger to yourself, and to my plan, Nora. Had I told the steps I’m going to take to kill Klaus earlier, you would probably be in New Orleans already. I needed to make sure we secured a few allies to help us carry out my plan. Otherwise, Klaus would already have your head, and he probably would’ve tortured you into telling him what I plan on doing. You would’ve ruined everything.”

Her words cut deep, but you try to muster up the strength not to show it. Who does she think she is, to tell you that you would have ruined everything? She is the irrational danger in the situation. Bonnie has told you about her murder sprees, about her compulsiveness. If anyone will rush to New Orleans in a misjudged hurry, it will be Mary Louise. Not you.

“Did I hurt your feelings?” she muses, smirking at you. She moves away to turn the faucet on, and then she leans even closer into you, her cheek brushing against yours as she moves to whisper in your ear. “They’re listening to us, Nora. They could hear everything we’re saying. I need to tell you something, and I need to know that you’ll take my advice.”

You nod your head.

“I’m going to be searching for other alliances. There is one that you need to be cautious of. Her name is Genevieve. Do not trust her, no matter what she offers you, or how kind she seems to be. You’ve taken to the Bennet witch quickly, and that’s fine. But Genevieve has an even more charming personality, and underneath that, she is a snake. She’ll snap your neck the moment she has the chance. Do you understand?”

“Why recruit such a dangerous ally, then?” you whisper back. “Someone so dangerous that you need to warn me of their habits,” you add.

“Because she has nothing to lose when it comes to fighting against Klaus. She is not just dangerous to us—she is dangerous to the entire Mikaelson family as well.”

She walks away and turns the faucet off, and you find yourself missing the feeling of her being so close. You shake off the feeling, however, and follow her out of the bathroom and to the living room of the Salvatore house.

“Ready to tell us your amazing plan?” Katherine asks, swinging her legs around as they dangle off the arm of the couch. She holds a bag of potato chips against her stomach and swats away Caroline’s occasional attempts to take a chip from her.

“Yes, I am,” Mary Louise says. She sounds too enthusiastic for your liking and you wonder why she looks as if she is trying to impress everything. Perhaps it is because Tyler is practically falling asleep and Caroline is too interested in trying to steal a chip from Katherine. Stefan and Elena are too obsessed in each other to fully pay attention. Damon and Alaric watch you two carefully, but you can tell they are more concerned with readying themselves for a fight if you misstep rather than listening to what Mary Louise has to say.

Bonnie is the only one who seems to be actually paying attention. Her eyes are focused on you, not Mary Louise, but you know that she will hold onto every word Mary Louise says when it involves Klaus. The witch’s demeanor has changed since her speech two days ago. She is darker, now. Determined. Slightly murderous.

You kind of like the look of it.

“…and then I will contact a Quarter witch by the name of Davina Claire. She is currently regent of all nine covens, meaning she holds power almost equivalent to mine, and is much more powerful than Bonnie,” Mary Louise says. You realize that you have not been paying attention at all and have instead been too focused on Bonnie, who gives Mary Louise her best bitch face at the comment.

“Why are you talking to a New Orleans witch? Don’t they work for Klaus now?” Elena asks.

“The witches have grown stronger, and with Davina as their regent, they are also growing more…bold, I suppose is the best way to put it. They are plotting against Klaus just as we are. We can easily form an alliance with them, which will give us access to a weapon I need desperately. It is a blade from a warlock named Tunde. Once we can plunge the blade into Klaus Mikaelson, it will make killing him that much easier.”

“How do you know the witches will work with us?” Stefan questions.

“I worked with their coven a few years back to help them get rid of a small vampire problem that they were having,” Mary Louise admits.

“Was that when the Mikaelson’s arrived in New Orleans?” Bonnie asks, clearly interested. Mary Louise laughs.

“No, no. This was long before they arrived. But I helped them kill the vampires that were trying to take up permanent residence, and they have owed me a favor ever since. Although it was before the time of these current witches, I am sure that a simple talk with the ancestors will have Davina convinced to carry out that favor.”

You wonder how Mary Louise convinced a coven of witches to work with a siphoner, let alone a heretic. It took Bonnie to convince everyone standing in this room to work with Mary Louise, and it only worked because Bonnie has been friends with these people for years. You shake your head, not wanting to confuse yourself on the matter and once again lose focus on Mary Louise’s plan.

“The blade will cause Klaus to suffer immensely from an unimaginable pain. It will render him unable to wake, meaning he also cannot run away. Only then will we actually have a chance to kill him with the white oak stake.”

If a few people were not paying attention before, they surely are now. Even Tyler wakes up from his light sleep to gawk at Mary Louise.

“How do you suppose we get the white oak stake?” Damon asks.

“By convincing the only person that Klaus trusts enough to let get close to it—Rebekah Mikaelson,” Mary Louise explains. Elena sits up and exchanges glances with Stefan, Damon, and Caroline. “What is it?”

“The last time we planned to kill Klaus, we asked Rebekah for her help and…it didn’t go so well,” Elena tells Mary Louise.

“Elena literally stabbed her in the back,” Caroline adds.

Katherine laughs loudly and stuffs another potato chip in her mouth. This time, she offers one to Caroline, who takes it quickly out of fear that it is a trick.

“I do suppose it will be trickier than I originally thought, then, but I think it is still possible,” Mary Louise says while straightening out the shirt she is wearing.

“Why do you have so much faith in Rebekah joining us?” Alaric asks, intrigued by Mary Louise’s plan. You notice a blush creeping across her face and she rolls her shoulders.

“I knew her once. I knew of her longing for a life outside of the one she lives with her brothers. And there is word that Klaus killed her lover, Marcel Gerard,” Mary Louise explains. She swallows thickly before continuing. “So, there it is. The gist of my plan. We can go over the smaller details soon, but first Alaric and I will need time to train you.”

“Oh, also…” you begin, your voice trailing off as you try to think of how to phrase the question that has been in the back of your mind since this meeting began. “I was wondering if I could stay here for a few days.”

“What happened to your house?” Caroline asks over a mouthful of chips.

“I burned it down last night.”

“What?!” Mary Louise shrieks. “How?”

“I was trying some of the things we practiced and…things got a bit out of control. Now there’s no house.” You scratch the back of your neck and look down at your shoes in embarrassment. Bonnie erupts in laughter and you stare daggers at her. “I’m glad you think this is so funny,” you say.

“It’s hilarious,” she tells you in between giggles. She calms down and clears her throat. “Okay, okay. I’m done.”

“You can take one of the guest rooms,” Stefan says suddenly. His invitation gains a hard stare from Damon, but he remains silent.

“If she gets to stay here, I want a room too,” Katherine says from her place on the couch.

“And if Nora stays here, so do I. I am the only witch capable of extinguishing the flames that will result in her practicing magic. Unless you want your lovely house to burn as well.” Mary Louise watches Stefan and Damon, waiting for their response.

Damon mouths ‘no fucking way’ to Stefan, who pays little attention to him. “Mary Louise can stay. I’ll think about Katherine.”

“Good to know I’m less wanted than the heretics are,” Katherine comments. “I’m staying here whether you want me to or not.”

Damon groans obnoxiously and Bonnie stifles a laugh, but still smiles with bright eyes at the situation. “Why can’t you all stay at Bonnie’s house? Does anyone even live there anymore, Bon-Bon?”

Bonnie’s smile fades and Elena gives Damon a look that lets everyone know he has taken this too far. You do not know the situation or what Damon is referring to, but you clench your jaw and focus all of your attention on Damon. The glass in his hand explodes, leaving his hand bloody from the impact of the shards of glass. He winces and groans out in pain before staring at Bonnie.

“Thanks, Bonnie,” he spits at her.

She does not speak out to tell him that it was not her. Instead, she nods at you, a silent gesture meant to thank you. You nod back, and look to Mary Louise.

“Shall we pick our rooms?” you ask.

**

Bonnie sits on your bed, legs crossed, and eyes closed. Her mind is focused on the candle in front of her, and you watch in delight as a flame erupts on the wick. You clap your hands, though it is a simple task that you should not be so intrigued by.

“Your turn,” she says. The flame disappears and you nod your head. You copy her body posture. You cross your legs, relax your shoulders, and close your eyes. With a deep breath, you remember what she has told you. In your mind, you picture the candle as it is, and then picture it with a flame slowly growing from the wick.

When you open your eyes, you are met with disappointment. The candle is not lit, and this is useless. You groan in frustration and the candle flies against the wall. “This is pointless. I can’t do anything! I can hardly open a window, let alone light a fucking candle!” you shout. Bonnie winces at the volume of your voice and you immediately stop shouting. “I’m sorry,” you tell her quietly. “I just hate this.”

“You just need to relax.” She moves closer to you so that she is seated next to you. “What’s your favorite song? Or movie? Try to focus on something that doesn’t make you angry. We know that you are capable of magic—just look at what you did with the candle. And with Damon. We just need to try to get you to do magic when you’re not pissed off.”

“How do we do that? Fill my head with thoughts of freaking rainbows and unicorns?”

“We just need to find something that takes your mind off of all the shit that’s making you so frustrated all the time. Why are you so angry, Nora?”

You think about her question. There are so many possible answers to it that you are not sure how to respond. Before you can think of an answer, however, you feel Bonnie’s hand on your cheek. She turns your head so that you are looking at her and she leans in close to you. She looks at you, waiting for you to respond, to move—you do not know if you should.

However, you find yourself leaning in and kissing her. It is a soft kiss, and short, as you hear someone approaching the room. You cannot pull yourself away fast enough, though, and can already feel Mary Louise smirking from her place in the doorway.

“Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?” she asks innocently. You throw the empty chip bowl next to you at Mary Louise and catch her in the shoulder. “That almost kind of hurt,” she laughs. You shake your head at her.

“Get out, Mary Louise,” you tell her.

“I just came by to see how it’s going. Has she successfully done anything yet? You know, besides you,” she asks Bonnie.

“Get out!” Your face reddens at Mary Louise’s question and you turn around so that your back is to her.

“Oh, relax, Nora. I’m just joking. But, seriously, have you accomplished anything today?”

“No,” you say quietly.

“So I was right. The Bennet witch is useless. I’m going to go set up communication with the regent in New Orleans.” She turns to leave and shouts a, “Have fun!” to you once she is halfway down the stairs.

“I hate her,” you state.

“Maybe we should just go after her instead of Klaus,” Bonnie jokes lightly. You allow yourself to laugh, though the thought of Mary Louise makes your stomach drop. For some reason, you hate the idea of any harm coming to her.

“Can we try again with the candle?”

**

“Is it true?” Katherine asks as she walks into Mary Louise’s room.

“Is what true? And who invited you in here? Get out,” Mary Louise replies. Katherine rolls her eyes and strolls over to the bed where Mary Louise is currently perched at the edge of.

“That the annoying witch and the heretic kissed. Hey, that almost rhymed. It’s like a Shakespearian romance or something.” Katherine begins to open the drawers of the bureau. “Do you have any food in here?”

“Katherine, get out of my room,” Mary Louise repeats. Katherine throws her hands up in mock-surrender.

“Okay, fine, I won’t eat any of the food you have stashed in here. But I did come here for a reason.”

“To gossip?”

“The water coming from my shower is brown and disgusting. I need to use yours,” she says. Mary Louise rolls her eyes but then gestures to the open door leading to the bathroom.

“Don’t leave your hair in the drain. I’ll kill you.”

Katherine flashes her a smile before she peels off her shirt and drops it on the floor. She walks into the shower to turn it on and continues undressing. Just as she is stripped down to her bra and underwear, she walks back to the bureau and pulls a towel from the top drawer.

“You’re certainly shameless, aren’t you?” Mary Louise says blankly. Katherine locks eyes with her in the mirror above the bureau.

“And you certainly like to watch me undress, don’t you?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Katherine. You aren’t my type.”

Katherine walks over to her and places her hands on either side of Mary Louise. “Are you sure about that?” Before Mary Louise can respond, the vampire returns to the bathroom, taking off her bra and tossing it in Mary Louise’s direction along the way.

“Bitch,” Mary Louise mumbles under her breath.

“I heard that!” Katherine calls from the bathroom.

**

“You’re asleep? How long was I in the shower for?”

Mary Louise wakes with a start at Katherine’s words. She groans and rubs her eyes. “What the fuck, Katherine? Isn’t it bad enough you took over my bathroom? Now you’re waking me up?”

“Why are you sleeping in the first place?”

“Because I’m tired.”

“You’re such a bore. Let’s do something fun. I need some form of entertainment or I’ll go kill a couple of people just to keep myself amused.” Mary Louise looks over at Katherine, who is standing a couple of feet away from the bed with a thin towel wrapped around her body. When she takes notice of her stare, Katherine smiles.

“What’s wrong, Mary Louise? Finally realizing that I am your type?” Katherine muses. Mary Louise swallows thickly and stares forward, not wanting Katherine to get the wrong idea. Well, technically, it would be the right idea. Katherine is hot, she cannot deny that. And ever since she walked in on Nora the Useless Heretic and Bonnie the Teenage Witch, she has felt the need to find something—or someone—to distract her from…well, everything.

From Nora, from the plans to kill Klaus. Everything is becoming far too overwhelming for her liking.

“Well?” Katherine presses, walking towards the bed. She places a knee against the edge of the bed and smiles down at Mary Louise.

“Go away, Katherine,” Mary Louise says finally.

“Is that your final answer?” Katherine questions as she begins to pull the corner of the towel down.

Mary Louise is on her feet in a blur and pushes Katherine against the wall.

“I’ve always loved vamp-speed,” Katherine states. Mary Louise smiles at her before crashing their lips together and pulling the towel off of her.

**

Sunlight streams through your windows and you open your eyes lazily. Bonne left last night, and you wish you had said something to her to make her stay. Instead, you refused to speak about the kiss at all after Mary Louise left.

However, you remember the candle—how you actually were able to light the damn candle. You have finally done something right. Now all you have to do is do it again.

And again.

And again.

And then kill Klaus.

I’m going to die, you think.

You blink a couple of times as you adjust to the light and swing your legs over the side of the bed to stand. As you walk out of the room, you think of sharing last night’s success with Mary Louise. You walk down the hall towards the stairs, stopping in front of her door. You knock and hear a weak “Come in,” from inside the room. Slowly, you push the door open, and your face immediately turns red at the sight in front of you.

Katherine lays naked on Mary Louise’s bed, her body covered only in the thin flat sheet on the bed. You can hear the shower running in the bathroom and assume that is where Mary Louise is. Katherine watches you, seemingly waiting for you to state why you are in the room.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were in here. I just came to tell Mary Louise something,” you explain. Katherine shrugs.

“She’ll probably be out soon. She’s been in there for a while,” she tells you. “I was just leaving, anyway.” She stands and you look away, trying to be polite. She begins to gather her clothes from the floor and get dressed. “I have business to attend to in town.”

“What kind of business?” you ask.

“Just patrol. You know, making sure there aren’t any idiot vampires or hybrids waiting to tell Klaus that I’m here,” she says.

“Do you want me to help you? I mean, they’ll be looking for me, too,” you remind her. She contemplates your offer to accompany her.

“Nah, it’s fine,” she answers finally. “I’ll make sure they don’t have any knowledge of you being here. I wouldn’t want Klaus to have any reason to come to Mystic Falls.”

You nod at her as she finishes dressing and leaves the room. You sit at the edge of the bed and then move away quickly as you remember that Katherine was naked and the bed is certainly not sanitary at this point.

Every part of you screams for you to leave, but you force yourself to remain there. You need to tell Mary Louise of your success last night—but why? You cannot pinpoint the exact reason as to why you think it is so important for her to know. Perhaps you want her praise. Or perhaps you believe telling her will lessen the insults of how incompetent you are as a witch. Whatever it is, it makes you stay in the room.

You hear the shower turn off and soft humming from the bathroom. A few moments pass and Mary Louise walks out of the bathroom in a towel. She notices you standing in the room and furrows her eyebrows. “Is something wrong?”

“I lit the candle last night,” you tell her, hoping she will understand what you are talking about. Almost instantly, her face lights up and she beams at you.

“Really? That’s great! You’re finally learning!” she exclaims.

You wonder if Katherine is the reason for her improved mood this morning. “Yeah, it is.” You shift your weight around a couple of times. “So…Katherine?” Her face drops a bit when she hears the name.

“She was still in bed when you came here?” You nod. “Oh. Well, yes. Katherine. Moment of weakness, I suppose.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” you prod. You do not know why you want so badly to hear that it means nothing to Mary Louise.

“Why do you even care, Nora?”

“I just—I’ve heard stories about Katherine.” It is not a complete lie—you truly have heard stories about Katherine and her inability to care for anyone other than herself. However, it is not why you care. “She’s not one that you should care about.”

“Good thing I don’t care for her, then,” Mary Louise replies.

“Are you sure?”

Mary Louise stares at you, and then a light of recognition crosses her face. “Oh, my god, Nora!” she exclaims suddenly.

“What?”

“You like her, don’t you?” she asks. “That’s why you’re hounding me about this.”

“No—I—no. Absolutely not.” She seems to believe your words and looks disappointed in being wrong.

“Are you sure? Because it is the only obvious reason why you would be so interested in her sex life,” Mary Louise says. You cringe at her statement. “Unless…it’s my sex life you’re interested in.” She smirks at you.

“That’s ridiculous, Mary Louise. Do you really think you’re that amazing? God! How conceited can you be?” She is taken aback by your sudden outburst.

“Well, I am pretty amazing. I’m funny, beautiful, sexy…” Her voice trails off as she considers listing everything else she believes about herself.

“Not only are you conceited, but now you are delusional. I am working with someone blinded by ridiculous delusions. Wonderful.”

She seems hurt by your words, but you do not bother to apologize. You are so outraged that she would make such an accusation about you—that you are interested in her even the least bit. You scoff at her and turn to leave.

“Get over yourself, Mary Louise,” you hiss at her as you walk away.

“Nora, wait!” she calls after you. You slam the door behind you.


	5. Chapter 5

“Ow! That hurt!” Bonnie shouts at Mary Louise. The heretic laughs at her as she begins to pick herself up off the ground, rubbing her side from where Mary Louise slammed her into the dirt.

“You could have gone with Alaric instead. Why choose to be part of my group? You know I don’t play fair,” Mary Louise reminds her. Bonnie scoffs at her and walks to the line of people standing a few feet from Mary Louise. “So,” she starts, looking at the line of people, “who’s next?”

You grab Tyler’s arm as he begins to step forward and pull him behind you. Mary Louise seems impressed by your bravery—or stupidity, depending on how you look at it. You approach her carefully and shift your weight to get into a fighting stance. She stands perfectly still, not needing to ready herself.

You can already tell that this is going to be bloodier than her training with Bonnie.

Before you can think more on your incoming injuries, Mary Louise already has you on the ground with your arms pinned above your head. “I wasn’t ready!” you scream at her. She laughs loudly and you struggle against her grip. “This isn’t fair.” You blow a stray strand of hair out of your face. “Can we at least start over?” She studies your face as if contemplating the suggestion.

A few moments pass and she begins to stand, then offers her hand to you. You take it, though as soon as she starts to help you up, she throws you against a tree.

Against a fucking tree.

“What the fuck, Mary Lou?” She grins at you, probably more at the nickname than the fact that she just sent you flying into a tree. Ever since you first used it four days ago, she has been fond of it. You like the fact that there is something that actually makes her seem happy.

Or, happy-ish.

“Come on, Nora. You’ve been so busy making out with Bonnie every night that you haven’t had as much training as the others,” Mary Louise teases. You clench your jaw—it is a fucking lie. Out of the corner of your eyes, you try to catch Bonnie’s reaction, but she remains stoic.

“That was uncalled for,” Caroline says, moving to stand next to Bonnie. “And they haven’t even been doing anything other than practicing magic. I’ve been there pretty much every time to make sure Nora doesn’t accidentally kill Bonnie.”

Mary Louise rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go, Nora. If you don’t want to train my way, then show me what Bonnie’s been teaching you.” Without warning, knives from the duffel bag of weapons at her feet come flying at you. You dive out of the way, only for them to follow you around. “Stop them with magic, Nora!” she calls to you.

“Stop! We haven’t gotten this far,” Bonnie shouts at Mary Louise.

You stop running and face the knives, trying to focus all of your energy on stopping them. One falls to the ground, though the other three still come straight toward you. Thankfully, one of them embeds itself into the tree bark just next to your ear.

Unthankfully, one impales your chest and the other your leg.

You cry out in pain and grip the handle of the knife in your chest. Mary Louise shakes her head at you in disappointment. “Shame, I really thought you’d be able to stop them by now,” she says. You make eye contact with her and pull both knives from your body without wincing. “Impressive,” she says mockingly.

The knives clatter to the ground and you watch as Mary Louise picks up a stake from the bag. “What are you doing now?” you ask, your voice shaking. Today is not the day you wish to be killed by Mary Louise’s shitty teaching methods.

“If you don’t have enough motivation to protect yourself, maybe you’ll be able to protect Bonnie,” she explains.

“Mary Louise, don’t,” you warn. Your tone is dark and you hope it is enough to intimidate her into backing down. However, she throws the stake suddenly, and you know that Bonnie has been caught too off guard to stop it. You try to rush toward her, to jump in front of her, but you are too slow.

When the rush is over, you look at Bonnie, whose eyes are closed. The tip of the stake hovers dangerously close in front of her face, though it is suspended in mid-air. She slowly opens her eyes and gasps—whether it is out of relief or shock, you are not sure.

You look to Mary Louise, though she looks too shocked for the stopping of the stake to be her doing. “Nora, did you…?” Bonnie starts, looking at you. You shake your head slowly. “Then who…”

Someone clears their throat and you look behind the group to see a man standing there, watching you and Mary Louise with raised eyebrows. He steps forward, but Katherine moves to stand in his way. The silent challenge seems to amuse him and he motions for her to step aside.

“I am not here for a fight, Katerina Petrova. I was invited,” he tells her. She looks to Mary Louise, who curtly nods her head. Katherine moves, despite definitely not being happy about it. The man walks up to Mary Louise and extends his hand in greeting. “My name is Vincent. I was sent ahead of the regent to make sure no ill intentions are harbored for her.”

“So basically you’re Davina Claire’s bitch?” Katherine asks. He scoffs.

“How do I know she is safe here if you are so willing to end the life of one of your own?” he asks Mary Louise, gesturing to the stake that still rests in front of Bonnie’s face. She steps to the side finally, not wanting to take any chances.

“We’re training, Vincent. Maybe you should mind your own business,” Mary Louise spits at him.

“Had I not stopped the stake, who would? What kind of training is this?” he questions.

“Look. I called Davina here because I want an alliance. I’m not trying to hurt her, nor do I ‘harbor ill intentions’ for her,” Mary Louise replies, putting air quotes around the words that Vincent used to describe the purpose of his arrival. “If she does not feel safe here, we can meet somewhere else, and I can go alone. Hell! You can even slap some of those anti-magic cuffs on me.”

“Wait, those actually exist?” you ask. Mary Louise shushes you almost instantly.

Vincent nods and thinks on her words. Then, he looks at you. “Nora Hildegard, I assume?” You nod. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard horrible things about you. Well, horrible to Klaus—good to the covens.”

You smile at him, already liking his easy personality. He smiles back and Mary Louise clears her throat. “Right, well, what’re you going to tell her?”

“We will bring protection with us—a few men to ensure she will be safe. Is that all right?”

“Wait—no! We only bought enough extra chairs and tables for Davina and a plus one. There’s no more room! This is the worst freaking dinner party in the history of horrible dinner parties and it hasn’t even started yet!” Caroline shrieks. Everyone turns to her. Tyler’s mouth open but all that comes out is a sigh.

Katherine wraps her arms around Caroline’s shoulders. “Come on, you neurotic little vampire. We’ll go buy some extra chairs and a fold-out table while the pretend-adults talk.” She leads Caroline away, who still seems incredibly stressed about the situation.

“I didn’t even know we were hosting a dinner party,” Tyler says.

“Neither do Stefan and Damon. Caroline told me she would take care of everything so I figured I wouldn’t have to tell anyone until the guests arrived or they came home and asked why there was food everywhere,” Mary Louise says.

“Can Caroline even cook?” you ask.

“I think so. I don’t really know. She’s never cooked anything that I’ve been willing to try,” Bonnie says.

“Can we, maybe, get back to the point?” Vincent interrupts.

“Right! Okay, so, you can bring your men, as long as they don’t ruin tonight’s dinner party because I swear to god if I have to deal with Caroline’s temper tantrums about how the night is ruined, I am going to start ripping people apart,” Mary Louise states. Vincent laughs lightly, understanding her humor.

“I’ll give them a talk about proper dinner etiquette. And I will tell Davina you do not wish any harm,” he says.

He turns to leave, and within minutes, he is out of sight. “How can we wish any harm or be viewed as a serious threat when we have Vampire Barbie on our side?” Mary Louise mutters. You do not bother to stifle your laugh.

**

“They’re going to be here soon!” Caroline practically screams at the top of her lungs. Bonnie rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she sets another plate on the table. Katherine walks out of the kitchen balancing a cooked ham in one arm and a serving bowl filled with green beans in the other.

“Holy shit…” Caroline turns to see Stefan and she tries to keep her face from dropping. “Caroline, what the hell is going on?”

“Okay, so! Davina Claire, aka the literal teenage witch, is coming for a dinner party tonight with a couple of people from her coven,” she explains.

“Why…?” he asks, waiting for an extended explanation.

“I invited her,” Mary Louise chirps from behind Stefan. “I told you that we need an alliance with her in order to take down Klaus. She’s coming over tonight to discuss such an alliance with us.”

“In my house. You invited her to discuss an alliance in my house. And you didn’t even tell me about it until now. I—just…don’t get the rug dirty. Damon will kill you.” He throws his hands up in defeat and sighs as he walks up the stairs, obviously not wanting to get into this anymore.

You smile at his behavior and the failed attempt to argue. You realize that if Mary Louise and Caroline made up a defense team of lawyers, they would always win. No one can argue with crazy and actually win.

“What’re you thinking about?” Bonnie asks as she steps up next to you.

“How ridiculous Caroline and Mary Louise are,” you admit. She looks at the floor briefly before nodding and you wonder if she was hoping you would say that you are thinking about her. “I’m also thinking about how this night is probably going to go to hell.”

“Definitely. Especially since Katherine decided to invite herself.”

“Didn’t Mary Louise invite her?”

“Nope. Mary Louise realized that she would probably say something to turn the witches against us, but Katherine showed up like ten minutes ago and refused to leave, so Mary Louise just told her to keep her mouth shut throughout dinner.”

“She should’ve told her to keep her hands to herself, too. From what you’ve told me about Katherine, someone doing so much as insulting her hair will probably get a steak knife thrown at them tonight,” you say. Bonnie laughs.

“If you want to get on her good side, just tell her that she’s prettier than Elena. I’m sure that she’ll be your best friend for life,” Bonnie tells you.

“Is Elena actually going to be here tonight?”

“Well, knowing Stefan, he’s probably on the phone with her now telling her to stay home.”

The doorbell rings, and Caroline trips over a chair running to the door. Katherine bursts out laughing and Caroline sends her a silent threat before getting up and opening the door. Her smile vanishes instantly as Tyler stands in the doorway, waiting for her to move so he can enter the house.

“You’re not the witches!” Caroline cries out. Tyler looks at her in confusion and then pushes past her. He walks over to you and Bonnie and then eyes Caroline.

“Is she okay?” he asks.

“Probably not,” Bonnie replies.

Caroline closes the door and then leans her back against, looking over the dining room. She inspects everything on the dining table and the fold-out table and then nods her head after a few moments. The doorbell rings again and she jumps, clearly not expecting it. She opens the door and Vincent stands in the doorway accompanied by a short girl—who you assume is Davina Claire—and three other men.

“What? No. No, no, no, no, no! You said two extra people, not three!” Caroline shrieks. Bonnie rushes towards her, clearly annoyed, and turns her around.

“Okay, Care, we’re going to take a walk over to the table. And we’re not going to stress about this anymore, okay?” Her voice is soft and she leads Caroline to the table without incident.

Mary Louise enters the room and smiles warmly at Davina as she enters the house. “Welcome to the Salvatores’ home,” she greets. “Please, take a seat. This meal was cooked by Caroline, the one with the deteriorating mental state whom you’ve just met.”

Davina smiles at her, though it lacks any type of warmth and you can tell that she is not exactly pleased to be there. Mary Louise warned you before that if she shows, it will only be by the request of her ancestors. You are not entirely sure how it works, but you get a headache just from trying to practice magic, let alone understand it.

“Let’s get through introductions. This is Tyler Lockwood, the hybrid. Caroline Forbes. Katerina Petrova. That’s Bonnie Bennet, but no one really likes her or pays attention to her—”

“Hey!” Bonnie interjects.

“Fine. That’s Bonnie. She’s kind of useless but a couple of people like her. This is Nora Hildegard, and as you already know, I’m Mary Louise,” Mary Louise finishes.

Davina nods, looking over everyone. She turns to the men behind her. “You’ve already met Vincent. This is Max,” she says, gesturing to a short man who cannot be any older than you. His hair is dark and falls into blue eyes. He is scrawny, but his appearance makes you think that he must be a strong witch for Davina to choose to bring him with you. “These two are Harper and Charlie,” Davina continues while looking to the other two men. They are twins, with dirty blonde hair that reaches their shoulders and cold, brown eyes.

“Now that that’s over, please seat. There are issues we must discuss.” Mary Louise gestures to the table and everyone takes a seat. She sits at the head of the table (as if you expect anything less), and you sit at her right side with Katherine taking the left. Bonnie quickly slides into the seat next to you, and Caroline into the seat next to her.

Davina takes a seat at the other end of the table with Vincent at her side. Tyler begrudgingly sits next to Katherine. Davina looks at the two empty seats next to her before turning her attention to Caroline, who is mid-bite.

“I thought that Stefan and Damon were going to be here, but they’re not, so now there’s room for two more at this table,” she explains. She shoves the food on the fork into her mouth when she finishes speaking.

“I’ll stand,” Max states. Charlie and Harper nod at him gratefully before taking their seats, with Harper next to Tyler, who eyes him warily.

“I am here by the request of the ancestors. I am told that you helped them a long time ago. They asked me to hear you out,” Davina explains. “So, please, tell me what I need to know, and nothing more.”

Mary Louise nods. “We are plotting the death of Klaus Mikaelson. Our plan includes an alliance with the New Orleans witches. Working together, we can make sure he is wiped from this earth forever. I will need Tunde’s blade, which I am told is in the possession of the Quarter witches. Once I have Klaus immobilized with it, I will use the last White Oak stake to kill him.”

“Would you care to elaborate on how we will procure the last White Oak stake? Or how we will actually manage to use Tunde’s blade on him?” Davina questions.

“By playing on his one true weakness—his family.” Davina’s eyebrows raise at this information. “By tomorrow afternoon, we will have formed an alliance with Rebekah Mikaelson. Though she has sworn her loyalty to her brother, everyone sitting in this room knows that such loyalty to Klaus Mikaelson can always be shaken—especially since he has killed her lover.”

Davina swallows thickly at Mary Louise’s last statement. “Did you know him?” You do not mean to interrupt them, but you know that something about the death of Marcel Gerard means something to Davina based on her change in demeanor.

“Yes, I did. He saved me from a barbaric witch practice,” she informs you.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” you tell her. You are sincere in your words, and the way she looks at you with shining eyes assures you that she understands that.

“Thank you,” she says honestly. She clears her throat. “Continue, please. I’d like to know how we will convince Rebekah Mikaelson to turn on her own flesh and blood—flesh and blood that she chose to stick by despite him murdering her love.”

“Her desire for freedom outweighs her loyalty to her brother,” Mary Louise says.

“I thought our plan was to kill the entire Mikaelson family,” Katherine points out over a mouthful of food.

“Rebekah will remain unharmed as long as she works with us,” Mary Louise snaps at her.

“What are you hiding?” Davina asks suddenly.

“What?”

“Your defensiveness over Rebekah’s safety—who is she to you? Why are you so sure she will switch sides and help us kill her brother? You have lied to me about her potential motivations. I want the truth, or I will leave this house and never look back. Any alliance you hoped to form with me will die the second my foot crosses the threshold, so I suggest you tell me the truth, and quickly,” Davina warns her.

“We knew each other years ago. We were foolish and in love, but when Niklaus learned that Rebekah may love someone more than she loved him, he grew terribly angry. I was locked in a coffin and abandoned in a cemetery, left to suffer in a state of desiccation until a couple of years ago,” Mary Louise admits.

Davina nods slowly, running over the story in her head. “I believe you,” she says finally. “But if you meant so much to her, why isn’t she already here with you?”

“She does not know that I have woken. I have not sought her out,” Mary Louise explains.

“Understandable. We need an actual plan, though, on how to get past Elijah and Freya Mikaelson and immobilize Klaus with the Tunde blade,” Davina states.

“Freya Mikaelson?” Mary Louise asks.

“You don’t know?” Davina looks at her carefully. “They have another sister. A witch, never turned into a vampire. Protected by magic all these years. She is alive, and she can be as brutal as the Mikaelson brothers are. She is dangerous and it will take a lot of power to go up against her—which is why we need a plan.”

“I do have a part to a plan,” Mary Louise says. “Genevieve.”

Davina stands up quickly, her chair flying out from under her. “No. No! We will not bring her into this. She is a threat to us all,” Davina exclaims.

“She is also a threat to the Mikaelson family. You just said we need a lot of power—Genevieve can help us.”

“Or she could kill us all,” Davina points out.

“The thought of killing Klaus will surely convince her not to kill us. Not until Klaus is dead, anyway.”

“And after he is dead?”

“Then we will deal with her properly and as a threat. Until then, we need her help,” Mary Louise says.

Davina slowly sits back down. She bites the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood, and then sighs. “Fine. The witches of New Orleans are behind you, but the second this seems even more impossible than it already looks, you will lose our alliance.”

“Thank you,” Mary Louise says. “Together we can come up with a plan. I will send messengers to you in New Orleans. I understand why you cannot stay here.”

“What are you talking about? Why can’t she stay here? Do you really want to risk sending messengers back and forth?” you question suddenly, already seeing all the risks Mary Louise is willing to take.

“She has no power here. Even with her four lackeys following her around. The New Orleans witches draw their power from their ancestors—their ancestors lie in New Orleans dirt. When away from the city, they are powerless,” Mary Louise explains.

“I will wait for your first messenger,” Davina says, standing to leave.

“Wait, no! None of you even ate anything!” Caroline shouts at her. Davina opens her mouth to say something, but then looks at Caroline and eventually sits down and begins to fill her plate.

You cannot argue with crazy.


	6. Chapter 6

“So, we have the witches on our side. Now what?” Damon asks. He leans against the table displaying all of his choices of alcohol. His arms are loosely crossed across his chest and he stares Mary Louise down in an attempt to intimidate her.

Of course, she does not flinch. She simply appears as bored as she probably is. Damon seems to be growing more irritated by the second as she blankly examines her fingernails. He slams his glass on the table and she finally looks up at him. “Now we come up with a plan and find Genevieve. I have heard word that she is in Georgia, so I’m going to drive out there tomorrow to look for her.”

“I’m going.” Everyone stops what they are doing to look at Damon, silently questioning whether or not his words are true. You fear for Mary Louise—if he truly does go, he will probably try to kill her. A small part of you is afraid that he might succeed.

“Wait, Damon, are you serious?” Elena asks.

“I don’t trust her to go alone. How do we know she won’t make a deal with this Genevieve to kill all of us after Klaus is dead? I’m going,” he says again.

“Fine with me,” Mary Louise chirps up.

Stefan watches Damon carefully from the corner of the living room, trying to determine his true motives. He eventually gives up, however, apparently not wanting to bother himself with such a difficult task. You are also suspicious of Mary Louise—her quick acceptance of Damon’s company makes you uncomfortable in ways that you cannot understand.

No one else questions either of them, and you leave the room before anyone else can say anything. The cold air hits you as soon as you open the door, but you do your best to ignore the goosebumps rising on your arms as you walk down the driveway and head towards the woods. The biting wind does not bother you as much as the thought of Damon and Mary Louise does.

Mary Louise—you should hate her. She is, quite frankly, a bitch. All she seems to do now is antagonize you—she harasses you about how much of a failure you are, she throws you against trees, she goes after you during training harder than she does to anyone else. Still, despite all of the things she does to annoy you, you cannot help but feel…what?

Everything about her is too confusing for you to determine how exactly you feel about her. And the frustration of that is enough to make you lash out constantly—your anger consumes you, and even Bonnie has felt your impulsive wrath at random times throughout the day. You hate it—you hate her.

Or you like her and just do not want to admit you.

You laugh bitterly at the thought and kick dirt up from the ground. Taking in a deep breath, you focus on the fallen leaves that litter the woods. Your hands raise slowly as your eyes close, and you can feel all of your energy being concentrated on this one task.

As you open your eyes, you smile proudly. Leaves surround you, suspended in the air, and it is beautiful in a way that you cannot explain, and in a way that you absolutely needed to see after the hellish week you have been having.

The sound of footsteps causes all of the leaves to drop back to the ground, as still and motionless as they were before other than the occasional wind. You look behind you to see Katherine and Caroline approaching. It is a friendship that makes the least sense to you—they both still kind of hate each other and constantly try to tear out each other’s throats. Still, they defend each other when others insult them.

It is too hard for you to understand the inner workings of it.

“Early for training?” Katherine asks.

You nod. “Mary Louise wants me to get early every day. Something about punctuality being the gateway to actually learning something,” you explain. Katherine laughs at your words.

“That’s bullshit. She just likes being a bitch to you,” Katherine replies.

“You know what’s a bitch? This weather. I’m fucking cold,” Caroline adds.

You and Katherine both nod in agreement.

“Good, you’re all here. Bonnie won’t be joining us, and Tyler switched over to join Alaric’s training team because he’s still a bit butthurt about those broken ribs from last time,” Mary Louise informs you all as she walks up from behind you. “Let’s begin.”

You sigh, knowing that you will, once again, get your ass kicked.

**

You are hot on Mary Louise’s heels, following her quickly into her bedroom. She lets out an annoyed sigh as you close the door. You watch as she tries to ignore your presence—doing all she can to not look at you, including reorganizing the towels on her dresser.

“This is a bad idea,” you tell her.

She does not respond.

“What if he tries to hurt you?”

Again, there is no response.

“Mary Lou!” you shout suddenly, grabbing her attention. She looks at you and smiles softly.

“He won’t hurt me. Relax, Nora. I’ll be fine. It’s you I should be worried about. You’re going to be missing days of training. You can fight, sure, but you have yet to last against me. How do you expect to go up against Klaus?”

You are not offended by her words—after all she has said to you, you have developed the ability to ignore her words.

“Right, well, I need to pack for my road trip with Damon. You can go now.” You do not move—there is so much you wish to say to her, so much that you do not know how to say to her. She watches you carefully and you force a smile at her quickly before leaving the room.

Nothing you think of to say will matter anyway.

**

“I’m driving on the way back,” Damon says while gripping the dashboard with one hand. He holds a bottle of alcohol with the other hand, desperately needing something to take away the fear of death with Mary Louise behind the wheel of the car.

“This is my car. I’m driving on the way back.”

“This isn’t your car. You compelled someone to give it to you. We could’ve taken my car.”

“Yes, but then you would’ve had the right to drive.”

Damon groans. “So who is this Genevieve, anyway? Another one of your exes?”

“No. She’s a very powerful witch, and an ancestor of the New Orleans witches, in a way. She was reincarnated through some really fucking weird ritual. It’s hard to explain the details. But she hates the Mikaelson family enough to work with us.”

Damon stares at the road ahead, turning her words around his head. He seems to be lost in deep thought, trying to figure out whether or not to go along with Mary Louise’s plan to bring Genevieve in on this. Finally, he sighs. “Can she be trusted?”

“Just until we kill Klaus. Then there’s a possibility that she will kill us all as well.”

Damon looks at her suddenly, outraged. “You want to bring someone like that along with us? What about our safety? What about Elena? She’s the only human, you know! How do we know she won’t kill us?”

Mary Louise smirks, but does not turn to look at him. “Elena, huh?”

“Shut up. And stop avoiding my question. What’s stopping her from killing us before or after Klaus is dead?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

He scoffs and sits back in his seat. “This is ridiculous. Turn around.”

“No.”

“Turn this car around or I will kill you,” he threatens.

“We cannot kill Klaus without Genevieve on our side. I promise your precious Elena will remain safe.”

“Turn. The. Car. Around.”

“Does Stefan know you have feelings for his girlfriend? I mean, you must have given someone a hint by now. Even I have noticed you staring at her like some creep from the corner whenever you believe no one is paying attention to you.”

He reaches his arm out the window and smashes the bottle against the car before holding up the broken glass to Mary Louise’s neck. “If I had wood, I’d stake you. But this is the next best thing. So shut up, and turn the car around, or I’ll slit your throat and drive home with you in the trunk.”

“Damon, do you want to ensure Elena’s safety? Do you want to know that those who threaten her are wiped from this earth?”

He does not respond.

“The first step in doing that is getting rid of the biggest threat. And that is Klaus. He will eventually run out of those blood bags he took with him to New Orleans. What will he do then? Oh, that’s right, come back to Mystic Falls and drain more of her blood for a hybrid army. And if you resist, he will kill you all.”

“And what about Genevieve? You just admitted that with Klaus dead, she’d still pose a threat.”

“Damon, I want you to look at me. Look into my eyes, and listen to my heart beat.” She turns to look at him, and he complies, studying her face carefully and focusing his hearing on the sound of her steady heartbeat. “I swear that I will protect Elena just as much as I will protect myself. If she is to die, it will be because I already have.”

He tries to determine whether or not she is telling the truth. “Why would you do that?”

“Because we need Genevieve. And if protecting Elena means getting her as an ally and killing Klaus, I will do so happily. Besides, I’d like to see Elena live long enough to see where fate leads the two of you,” she says with a smirk.

“How do I know if you’re telling the truth?”

“I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

**

“Wow, you’re doing a lot better,” Bonnie tells you. You look in front of you where you simultaneously moved four chairs.

Her voice lacks the enthusiasm you find yourself wishing for. Still, you force a smile at her and watch as she hardly even notices you. She is caught up in whatever is on her phone. You take a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

It does not work.

“Do you even care about helping me? Is your phone really so much more important than me?” you snap at her.

She looks up at you with her mouth open slightly in surprise. “What?” She looks down at her phone and your words register. “I’m texting Elena, who is texting Stefan, who is texting Damon, to find out if Mary Louise and Damon have killed each other yet. I figured that’s pretty important,” she tells you.

You swallow thickly, upset at yourself from your actions. Nodding slowly, you turn around. “I’m tired. Let’s just call it a day, okay?”

“Nora, what’s wrong with you?”

She walks up to you, settling to stand beside you, and waits for an answer. Your fists clench shut as you try to think of the words. Your mouth continuously opens and closes, yet nothing comes out—you have absolutely no idea what is wrong with you.

“Let’s take a break. But we’re not going anywhere. We’re just staying here. We still have a long way to go and taking an entire day off isn’t going to get us anywhere,” she reasons.

“Working while I’m not focused isn’t going to get us anywhere, either.”

“Well, why can’t you focus?”

“Because she’s not safe with him!” you shout suddenly.

Bonnie mouths an ‘oh’ and nods her head slowly, knowing exactly what you are talking about. “Look at this.” Bonnie pulls out her phone and holds it to your face. “Damon sent this to Stefan when Stefan asked for proof that no one was dead. Then Stefan sent it to Elena, and Elena sent it to me. I think she’s pretty safe.”

You look at the picture in front of you. Damon and Mary Louise are sitting at what appears to be a bar, each holding a full shot glass with one hand, and with their free arms hung loosely around each other’s shoulders. So loosely, in fact, that they are practically just holding their arms in mid-air. Each of them wears a large, and incredibly fake, smile on their faces.

“Come on, you can laugh,” Bonnie says as she notices you trying hard not to smile. At her words, you let a stream of laughter, snorting in between and then covering your mouth in embarrassment. “I’m totally holding that against you in the future,” Bonnie jokes.

“If there is a future left for you, that is,” a voice adds. You and Bonnie look behind you to see three men standing in the doorway of the Grill. Immediately, you are tense. You find yourself moving in front of Bonnie defensively.

“Who sent you?” Bonnie asks, voice low and dangerous.

“Klaus,” one of the men says.

“So, I’ll take the two on the sides, and you’ll take the one in the middle?” you ask Bonnie. You look back at her and she nods in approval.

You rush forward and grab one of them by the throat. He easily pushes you off of him, proving his strength to be much greater than yours.

But you are far more determined.

As the other man moves behind you, you see Bonnie dodging an attack from the man she was supposed to take care of. Just as you receive a quick to the ribs and are tackled and pinned to the ground, you hear the man with Bonnie scream. You watch as he falls to his knees, holding his head in his hands.

“Witch aneurysm. Always one of my favorite tricks. Want to see what my other is?” you say to the man holding you to the ground. He lands three blows to your face before you are able to throw him off of you.

Your words are quick and quiet, but you know they work when the three men look around the Grill, trying to find you and Bonnie.

“Where the hell did they go?” one of them asks.

The door opens a blonde woman walks in carelessly. “Oh, for God’s sake, I knew my brother made a mistake hiring you three idiots. She’s a Gemini witch, of course she learned how to cloak.” The accent instantly gives her away.

“So how are we supposed to find her?”

“You just have to be less moronic,” the woman says.

You are just about to leave through the back when a dagger pierces your side. Another one burrows itself in your knee. You cry out in pain and lose the focus that allowed you to hold the cloaking spell up for the two of you.

Bonnie looks at you, concerned, but you push her away. “Go!” you shout at her. She looks to the men and the woman, then back to you, before running off.

The anger within you grows and you watch as Rebekah Mikaelson walks towards you. You are seething, already beginning to pull the daggers from your body. Just as she is within a foot’s distance from you, you lunge forward, reaching for her.

She effortlessly interrupts your attack and throws you into a table. You groan out in pain and slowly rise again. “Come on, let’s just stop fighting. You can’t beat me.” You rush towards her once more, and again you are knocked to the ground. She places a foot on your throat. “Time to take a nap,” she says. Before you can react, she injects you with vervain.

**

“This is Damon’s phone. I’m currently in hell right now, how may I help you?” Damon says as soon as he answers the phone.

“Put Mary Louise on the phone. Now,” Bonnie demands. Sensing the intensity behind her words, Damon hands the phone to Mary Louise.

“What do you want?”

“Nora’s been taken.”

Mary Louise puts down the shot glass in her hand. “When? By who?”

“Just now. And...it was Rebekah. Rebekah Mikaelson,” Bonnie tells her.

“We’re coming back now. Get everyone together. We need to get her back.” She hangs up the phone without waiting for Bonnie’s reply.

**

You open your eyes slowly, blinking to get rid of the blurriness of the room. There are two beds in front of you and you briefly look at the tacky curtains on the window before accepting that you are in a shitty motel room. Correction: you are bound and set against the wall of a shitty motel room.

The least she could have done is let you rest on the bed.

“Ugh, my back hurts,” you complain, stretching your back as well as you can.

“Stop complaining. At least I didn’t break your spine like I considered doing,” Rebekah replies. You look over to the corner of the room and see her sitting at a small table.

“Why so hostile? Upset that I’ve been spending so much time with your past lover?” you tease. She sits upright at this, body immediately tensing up.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Mary Louise is back.”

Rebekah storms over to you and delivers a swift kick to your side. “What do you mean, she’s back?” Her fists are clenched and you are not sure if she is about to cry, vomit, or beat you bloody.

“Apparently, she got out of that coffin four years ago. Been plotting revenge against your brother ever since. Didn’t you know?”

“You’re lying,” she snarls at you.

You shake your head. “What reason would I have to lie about that?”

“She wouldn’t dare come after my brother. She knows the danger—and she would know that I will stand by him,” Rebekah says.

“Would you? After he locked Mary Louise in a box, after he killed Marcel—” Another kick leaves you crying out. “Mary Louise seemed confident that you would help us, after Klaus has gone out of his way to destroy your happiness so many times already. I told her she was wrong—said, though, that she’ll have to hear it again, this time knowing my words are true.”

“She’s not back,” Rebekah says, more to herself than to you. “She would have come to me.”

“While you’re off fucking Klaus Mikaelson’s adopted son? Christ, and I thought those guys back at the Grill were idiots.” This time, she swings her fists at you. You spit out blood at her feet and smile, your teeth red from blood. “Are you mad at me for telling the truth, or at yourself for not believing it?”

Rebekah stares you down, chest rising and falling quickly. Her heartbeat is fast and you can see the inner turmoil in her eyes. She storms away from you and retreats back to her spot at the table, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. “You’re a liar,” she says finally.

**

“I guess it’s a good thing you two decided to stop at nearly every bar on the way, otherwise you actually would’ve gotten more than 50 miles away,” Bonnie says.

“Listen, Judgy, we were bonding. Isn’t that what you all wanted us to do?” Damon replies.

“Can we focus on the fact that Nora has been taken?!” Mary Louise yells over the overlapping voices.

“I did a locator spell and found the motel that they’re in. We need a plan,” Bonnie points out.

“Here’s the plan. We go there, get Nora, and leave,” Katherine says.

“Great plan, Katherine. What about the part where Rebekah kills all of us?” Caroline questions. Katherine shrugs and moves to sit on the couch.

Mary Louise’s face lights up. “She won’t kill me,” she says. Katherine looks at her.

“Haven’t you pretty much been dead to her for, like, four hundred years? What makes you think she still wants to bang you?” Katherine asks.

“Can you...shut up, Katherine. She won’t kill me. I’ll go alone,” Mary Louise continues. “I’ll get Nora—hell, I’ll even get Rebekah to side with us. Give me my keys, Damon, I’m leaving.”

“I’m going with you,” Bonnie says, stepping forward.

“Rebekah won’t kill me, but I’m sure she’ll have fun ripping you apart,” Mary Louise states.

“I don’t care. This is Nora we’re talking about. I’m going.” Mary Louise stares at Bonnie, and then lets out a frustrated groan.

“We don’t have time to argue. Let’s go.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Does this get you off? I always figured Mary Lou was into some kinky shit, but knowing you two probably did this kind of foreplay way back when really takes the ca—” You grunt in pain as Rebekah lands another kick to your abdomen. Blood spills from your mouth as you smile up at her. “What’s wrong, Rebekah? Don’t want to talk about your ex?”

She uses her vampire speed to grab a shard of glass from where the motel room’s lamp lay broken on the ground. You already know it is coming as she shoves the glass into your chest, and you nearly tear your lip in half while biting it to refrain from crying out.

You are breathing heavily and lying on the floor, trying to stay still as to not disturb the shards of wood and glass in your body. Rebekah stands over you, chest also rising and falling deeply, clearly exhausted from torturing you for the past hour.

“What’s wrong? Finally done spewing bullshit?” Rebekah asks you. You spit at her, and a thick wad of blood and saliva lands on her jeans. “Oh, darling, that’s disgusting. Do you need your tongue to spit at people?” She asks before beginning to search around the room.

She reaches into a bag by the door and pulls out a knife, smiling brightly at it. Soon, she is back at your side, hovering over you and seemingly plotting out what she wants to do next.

“How long do you think it takes for a vampire’s tongue to grow back?”

Despite everything that has already been done to you, your eyes widen—this is something you definitely do not want to have to endure. “I’ll—”

“You’ll what?”

“I’ll tell you everything. If this all stops, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about our plans against Klaus. I’ll tell you,” you say.

A smile tugs at the corners of her lips and she bends down. She pulls out one of the stakes from your ribs and you wince. “Well, you broke a lot earlier than I thought you would. Damon and Stefan didn’t educate you in Torture 101? Not even Caroline? Alaric did something similar to her before, you know.”

“Shut up.”

“I don’t think you’re in any kind of position to be rude to me,” Rebekah points out. She continues to make her point by pulling out the next shard of glass as painfully as possible. “So, tell me who’s involved with this plan.”

“Well, me, obviously. The Salvatore brothers, Alaric, and...hm, you know, I can’t really remember anyone else’s names. And of course there are all of the allies that the brothers keep secret from me,” you tell her.

She stops in the middle of pulling out a stake, and then buries it even deeper into your stomach. “Do you think this is some kind of game? Do you honestly have it in your delusional mind that you’re in control in any way whatsoever?”

“You like being in control, don’t you, Rebekah? I guess Mary Louise left that out when explaining your relationship together,” you state.

You can already tell that you may have pushed her too far, and that becomes apparent when the world goes dark as she snaps your neck.

**

“Look—we’re almost there,” Bonnie says as she points at the GPS, which displays the words “Destination Will Be On Your Left In .07 Miles”.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Mary Louise responds. Bonnie rolls her eyes at her and ignores the sarcastic reply. Bonnie’s hands are shaking in her lap, and Mary Louise glances at them. “It’ll be okay, you know. We’re going to save her.”

“What if she’s already dead?”

Mary Louise’s stomach drops at the thought, but she knows—rationally—that Rebekah would not kill Nora. There is absolutely no way Klaus would allow someone else to dispose of Nora, and from Bonnie has been telling Mary Louise about Rebekah’s current behavior, she would in no way disobey orders such as that.

“What if she’s dead, and Rebekah just kills us?”

“You know as well as I do that Rebekah would not kill Nora. So, what is this really about?” Mary Louise asks.

“I—nothing. Nevermind.”

“Can I at least guess?”

Bonnie does not respond.

“You’re a witch. You are powerful, but you are far more vulnerable than a vampire, and especially more likely to die than a heretic. Despite the brave face you put on, and all your talk about wanting to kill Klaus, you’re afraid of getting hurt in the process. But, Bonnie, would you like to know a secret?”

Bonnie looks over at Mary Louise, waiting impatiently for her to finish.

“Everyone fears death. Even the Original family. Even Katherine Pierce.”

She looks back out the window, but Mary Louise looks at her and catches her attention once more.

“Even me.”

**

Rebekah sits on the edge of one of the beds in the motel room and inspects her nails lazily. She lets out a sigh before fishing around in her pocket for her phone. At last, she finds it, and pulls it out happily. She unlocks the screen and goes to her recent calls.

The phone rings a few times before a controlled voice answers.

“Elijah?” Rebekah says. “Is Nik with you?”

“Our brother is a bit...occupied, at the moment. What is it?” Elijah answers.

“I have—” Rebekah stops as the door is kicked open. She stands quickly to face the intruders, but pauses immediately, mouth open wide.

“Rebekah?”

“I have...I’m having difficulty, finding this girl. I’ll call you back, though. I think I have a lead.” She hangs up the phone slowly and slips it back into her pocket.

Mary Louise stands in front of Bonnie almost protectively as the two remain in the doorway. Bonnie’s eyes land on you and she begins to rush forward, though her attempts are stopped immediately as Mary Louise blocks her from moving further into the room.

“She was telling the truth...you’re really—how?” Rebekah asks, face pale.

“What are you doing, Rebekah?” Mary Louise avoids looking at your still form.

“I—she stole from Nik, Mary Louise. We need to get back what belongs to us. You know what happens to those that cross us,” Rebekah explains.

“Why are you working for your brother?”

“I’m not working for my brother. I’m protecting my fa—”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it. You aren’t protecting your family—you’re protecting Klaus’s name. Don’t try to pass this off as anything else,” Mary Louise says.

Rebekah stays quiet for a moment.

“I heard he killed your most recent lover. I suppose I should be lucky I didn’t meet such a fate.”

“Don’t bring that up.”

“Why do you still remain with him? Why stand by the side of a man who never wanted you to be happy, and who will never allow you to be?”

“You don’t understand—you never have!”

“I understand that when we were together, you wanted to leave him. We were going to escape—together! I understand that your love for me threatened him so greatly I was locked in a box. What more is there to understand, Rebekah?”

“I just—he’s my brother. And—”

“He’s a psychopath, Rebekah.”

“As if you have room to speak of that! You have murdered entire villages, Mary Louise. Or did your time in that box cause you to forget about your murder sprees?”

“Murder sprees that you joined me on. None of us are innocent—I did not claim anything opposite of that. But your brother is an evil that cannot be compared to. He has crushed every hope you have ever had. Don’t you see that he must be stopped?”

“The only person that I see who must be stopped is you. I cannot allow you to destroy my family. I’m sorry, Mary Louise. For everything.”

Rebekah rushes toward her, but Mary Louise easily knocks her backwards. “We have Genevieve, Rebekah. We have Genevieve, and the nine covens. We are going only after Klaus, but anyone who stands against us is signing their death sentence—even you.”

Just as she stands and is about to go after Mary Louise, Rebekah hesitates. She allows the words to sink in, and Mary Louise can almost swear that fear flashes across the Original’s face. Almost instantly, though, that fear is gone.

“You cannot kill us, Mary Louise. That’s the whole point of being immortal.”

“Well, I was hoping you would be able to help with that part—but, seeing as you are intent on killing me and protecting your bastard brother, I guess I will now have to improvise. The three of you think yourselves invincible, but I know that a part of you fears your own death. And soon I will have the means to make your fears a reality.”

Rebekah grabs a stake from behind her and moves quickly to you, picking you up and holding the stake directly over your heart. “Do not test me, Mary Louise. You know all that I am capable of.”

“And you know what I am capable of, also. If you kill her, nothing will change. I will come over every single one of you, even if it means my own death. And I am sure that everyone currently working with me has accepted that same fate,” Mary Louise tells her.

Before Rebekah can react, Mary Louise holds out her hand and the stake flies into it smoothly.

“This has been a warning, Rebekah. Return to New Orleans, share my information with your brothers. Tell them it is time to prepare for a war.”

The veins just below Rebekah’s eyes appear in anger before vanishing. “And you can tell those you are working with that this is my warning.”

She hears the sound of flesh being torn and smells blood as it pours. She looks over at Bonnie, who has tears streaming down her face as Rebekah’s hand is inside of her chest. Mary Louise screams, but no sound comes out. She can only catch Bonnie as she falls to the ground.

And Rebekah is already gone.

**

Rebekah enters the compound nervously, eyes searching frantically for any sign of her family. Just as she begins ascending a set of stairs, she is graced with a familiar presence.

“Sister? What’s wrong?” Freya asks. Rebekah turns around to face her.

“They’ve declared war on us, Freya.”

“Who?”

“Everyone.”

**

“So,” Klaus starts, “you lied to our dear brother Elijah about finding a lead so that you could spend time talking to your ex. That sounds like a rather strategic move, Rebekah.”

“I was trying to gather more information, Nik.”

“What you should have gathered was Nora Hildegard—which is what I sent you there to get in the first place! Don’t you see what you’ve done? You’ve ignited this war! We could have had more time to learn about our enemy if you hadn’t let Nora get away, and murdered one of the witches. Spilling that witch’s blood will have the rest of them murderous.”

“I’m sorry, Nik—I was just—”

“You were just what, Rebekah? Please, explain to me how this has sprouted even one positive outcome,” Nik dares her.

“I think she understands what she’s done wrong, brother. We need to discuss what our next move will be,” Elijah cuts in.

Nik smiles wickedly. “I already know exactly what our next move is.”

He moves towards Rebekah, plunging a dagger in her heart. She gasps and makes eye contact, her eyes filling with the hurt of the betrayal.

“Sorry, dear sister, but you have now become a risk.”

She falls to the ground, leaving Elijah and Freya to stand over her and look at Klaus in shock and anger. “What have you done?” Freya asks.

“She is dangerous to us. If we are to win this war, we must not be distracted. Her loyalty to this family will always be conflicted so long as Mary Louise is breathing. Once I get rid of her, I will undagger my sister.”

“There is no coming back from this, Niklaus. She will not forgive you this time,” Elijah states.

“We’re family, Elijah. She’ll always forgive me. And if either of you decide that my plan does not work for you, you can always try to find a place among those rebelling against us.”

**

You groan loudly as your eyes finally open. The dim light from the only remaining lamp in the motel room gives you a headache and you squint as you sit up. The smell of blood fills your nose almost immediately and you look around—and you freeze upon your discovery.

Mary Louise grasps onto a motionless Bonnie, holding the witch against her tightly. Her stare is blank and fixed on the wall opposite to her, and blood covers her face, clothes, arms, and hands. You try to listen, to hear something—anything. A third heartbeat, a third breathing pattern.

You get nothing aside from the noises that you and Mary Louise make.

“Bonnie...” you whisper. Your voice seems to register to Mary Louise and her eyes move towards you, though she remains completely expressionless.

You move over to her quickly and check Bonnie for a pulse—this needs to be a mistake. Perhaps your senses are just off because you just woke up from being (technically) dead (again).

But there is no pulse, and you begin to find yourself unsure as to what life ever felt like.

**

You drive, as you are the least unstable and ready to drive off of a cliff between the two of you. A sheet from one of the motel beds covers Bonnie’s body in the backseat where Mary Louise put her. She refused to let go of her until she was at the car.

The “Welcome to Mystic Falls” sign comes into sight and your stomach drops as you try to think of the ways to explain this to everyone at the Salvatore house. The text you sent earlier should have brought everyone to the house by now.

Anxiety kicks in as you turn onto the street and approach the Salvatore house. Just as you expect, the driveway holds three cars—accounting for, hopefully, everyone.

As you stop the car, Mary Louise gets out wordlessly and walks up to the door. She rings the doorbell and waits patiently, but when Stefan answers, she falls to the ground. The youngest brother catches her, confusion sprawled across his face.

She does not speak, but Stefan seems to understand, and he begins to shout and panic after making eye contact with you through the windshield. Everyone rushes out—literally, everyone. Even Matt is here. You get out of the car and try to gesture to the backseat.

Stefan and Damon approach the car first, mostly to shield Elena from seeing the body.

And then you break.

Caroline wraps your arm around her shoulders as your knees give out and you sob loudly. The blonde stares at the backseat in horror, and Elena is rushing out of the house and trying to push past the Salvatore brothers. Her screams pierce your body and you wish you are the one who is dead.

**

“They can’t get away with this,” Elena says through her tears.

“They won’t,” Caroline replies with more confidence than you believe is possible in a moment like this.

“I can’t believe they killed her,” Damon practically whispers from his place across the room. He has not made a sarcastic comment—or any comment, for that matter—since you arrived. You can tell that he takes no pleasure from Bonnie’s death.

“What are we going to do?” Caroline asks no one in particular.

“We’re going to kill them all.” It is the first time you speak up. Everyone looks at you, and you stand up. “We’re going to make them wish for their death, and then we are going to tear them apart limb from them.”

“It won’t bring Bonnie back,” Matt says. “Why would you even bring her?” He looks at Mary Louise, hatred in her eyes.

A sudden idea strikes you, and you slam your drink down on the table next to you. “But I know something that will bring her back.”

“Explain,” Damon demands.

Mary Louise looks at you. “You’re not serious, are you? Do you really think these people will let you do something like that? Have you met their uptight, self-righteous asses?”

“Shut up, Mary Louise. Nora, what are you talking about?” Caroline presses.

“It’s a ritual—something guaranteed to bring back the life of a witch. I saw it performed when I was a kid. It’ll work.”

“What’s the catch?” Elena questions.

Mary Louise scoffs and looks at her. “The catch is that it requires sacrifices. A lot of sacrifices.”

**

“No way. We can’t kill nine people. I’m almost a police officer, for god’s sake! Do you honestly think I’d let you do this? Or even talk about it?” Matt says.

“Matt, it could bring back Bonnie,” Elena reminds him.

“You’re honestly considering this?”

“There are some people in this world who do not deserve to be here. Everyone in this room can agree with that. We can use those types of people as the sacrifices, and bring Bonnie back. It’s, like, a win-win,” you tell them.

“Do it,” Elena says.

“Elena, maybe we should talk about this more,” Stefan states.

“No,” Elena replies. “We’re doing this. We’re bringing Bonnie back. And then we’re going to kill Klaus.”


End file.
